Baseball Game Preview: McKinley Trojans vs. Western Reserve Blue Devils

For the second straight game, McKinley will face off against Western Reserve. The Trojans will head out to challenge the Blue Devils at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

McKinley is leaving town to face Western Reserve after disappointing their home crowd in their season opener. The Trojans came up short against the Blue Devils on Monday, falling 18-0. Sadly, the defeat continues a streak the team started last season, making it 13 in a row.

For Western Reserve's part, Evan Slaven made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). Those seven strikeouts gave Slaven a new career-high. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, eight RBI, and three runs. He has become a key player for Western Reserve: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 4-5 otherwise.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Connor Jones, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played. Vito Armeni also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.

Western Reserve always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

McKinley might still be hurting after the 18-0 loss they got from Western Reserve in their previous matchup on Monday. Can the Trojans avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.