Baseball Preview: Elkhart Lions vs. Mishawaka Cavemen
The Elkhart Lions will be playing in front of their home fans against the Mishawaka Cavemen at 11:00 p.m. on Saturday. Given that the pair suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.
Elkhart fought the good fight in their extra-innings match against Valparaiso on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 7-4 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Vikings. Elkhart has not had much luck with Valparaiso recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
Brodey Weaver put in work while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching five innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits. Weaver was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.
Weaver wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Greg Guest, who went 2-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI.
Meanwhile, Mishawaka unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Friday. They fell just short of NorthWood by a score of 4-3.
Brady Gallo was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out eight batters over six innings while giving up four earned runs off six hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't pitched less than five innings in four consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Tyler Thomas was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
Even though they lost, Mishawaka didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with eight strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as NorthWood only tossed four.
Elkhart's defeat dropped their record down to 12-8. As for Mishawaka, their loss dropped their record down to 12-9.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Elkhart has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Mishawaka struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.6. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Elkhart skirted past Mishawaka 11-9 in their previous matchup back in May of 2023. Will Elkhart repeat their success, or does Mishawaka have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
