The Landon Bears will take on the DC International Dragons at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Landon is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another highly-ranked state team: Sidwell Friends, who was ranked second in their home state at the time (Landon was ranked fifth). Landon put the hurt on Sidwell Friends with a sharp 10-4 win on Wednesday. The victory was nothing new for the Bears as they're now sitting on five straight.
Leo Rosand looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Zach Burstein was incredible, scoring a run and stealing Four bases. while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Ben Pollack was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Landon hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most five strikeouts in three consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask DC International). They were the clear victor by a 22-2 margin over Richard Wright Public Charter School on Thursday. That's two games straight that the Dragons have won by exactly 20 runs.
Nile Williams made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Williams was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing Three bases. while going 1-for-1.
In other batting news, Jose David English was a standout: he scored four runs and stole Two bases. while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Biko Sheridan, who scored four runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Landon's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-2. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.4 runs on average over those games. As for DC International, they now have a winning record of 4-3.
Friday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Landon has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .471. However, it's not like DC International struggles in that department as they've averaged .434. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
