Western Reserve hasn't had much luck against McDonald recently, but that could start to change on Friday. Western Reserve will host McDonald at 6:00 p.m. Western Reserve is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.3 runs per game this season.
Western Reserve took a loss when they played away from home last Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Lordstown a 10-0 shutout. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Blue Devils considering their two-run performance the contest before.
Landan Gerchak tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out seven over five innings pitched.
On the hitting side, Peyton Hartzell and Hunter Stacy did most of the damage at the plate: Hartzell went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run, while Stacy got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs and one double. That's the most runs Stacy has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Cole Dotson, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Thursday just wasn't the day for McDonald's offense. They lost 12-0 to South Range on Thursday. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Blue Devils, who until this matchup were averaging 2.79 runs allowed.
McDonald saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Quinn Schmidt, who went 1-for-3 with one double.
Western Reserve's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-6. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for McDonald, their loss dropped their record down to 14-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Western Reserve has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like McDonald struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Western Reserve might still be hurting after the 12-0 defeat they got from McDonald in their previous meeting back in April. Will Western Reserve have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
