The Auburn Riverside Ravens will face off against the Decatur Golden Gators at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Auburn Riverside took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Cleveland a 9-0 shutout.
Braydon Rudolph was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Rudolph was also big at the plate, scoring a run while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Cole Svendsen was a standout: he went 2-for-4 with three RBI and one double. Another player making a difference was Dane Tomlinson, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Decatur hadn't beaten Kentwood on the road since April 20, 2023 but that history sure didn't bother them on Tuesday. Decatur skirted past Kentwood 5-3. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Golden Gators.
Hunter Buol looked comfortable as he pitched 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Eric Havili, who went 3-for-4 with two triples, two runs, and one stolen base. Those two triples gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Spencer Holloway, who went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases and two RBI.
Decatur kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Kentwood only managed five hits.
The win got Auburn Riverside back to even at 1-1. As for Decatur, their victory bumped their record up to 2-0.
Auburn Riverside was able to grind out a solid win over Decatur in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, winning 10-5. Does Auburn Riverside have another victory up their sleeve, or will Decatur turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
