Baseball Preview: Forest Wildcats vs. Belleview Rattlers
Forest is 9-1 against Belleview since April of 2017, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Forest Wildcats will head out on the road to take on the Belleview Rattlers at 7:00 p.m. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
On Tuesday, Forest fell victim to a rough 17-8 loss at the hands of West Port. Forest has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Forest saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Robert Kohler, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-2. Kohler is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now stolen at least one in the last six games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Michael Mellucci, who scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Even though they lost, Forest hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. That's the most strikeouts they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Belleview suffered a tough 10-1 defeat at the hands of Tavares on Tuesday.
Forest's loss dropped their record down to 10-3. As for Belleview, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Forest has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Belleview struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.2. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Forest came out on top in a nail-biter against Belleview in their previous meeting back in April of 2023, sneaking past 6-5. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Belleview's Eric McLaughlin, who went 3-for-3 with a triple, a stolen base, and a run. Now that he won't be playing on Thursday, will it be that much easier for Forest to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
