Start is on a six-game streak of home wins, while Emmanuel Christian is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Spartans will welcome the Warriors at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Start is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.1 runs per game this season.
Start's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They were the clear victors by a 24-0 margin over Rogers. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Spartans considering their two-run performance the matchup before.
Braden Bowman made a big impact no matter where he played. He pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was even better at the plate, going 4-for-5 with four RBI, two runs, and one double. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high.
Brandon Scott
| 05/07/25 vs Rogers | 4 |
| 04/15/25 vs Lake | 3 |
| 04/30/25 @ Lima Senior | 2 |
| 05/01/25 @ Perrysburg | 1 |
| 04/28/25 @ Woodward | 1 |
In other pitching news, Brandon Scott looked comfortable as he went 4-for-5 with four runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Those four hits gave him a new career-high.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Joe Buck, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one double, and one RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Emari Green, who went 1-for-2 with two runs and two RBI.
Start always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .707. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Christian didn't have quite enough to beat Toledo Christian on Wednesday and fell 7-6. The Warriors have struggled against the Eagles recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost meeting.
Tim Sherban was cooking despite his team's loss, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Emmanuel Christian's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 2-1 (and 4-7 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Titus Shepherd, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and two runs.
Start is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 13 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-6 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Emmanuel Christian, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Start has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Emmanuel Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Start was able to grind out a solid win over Emmanuel Christian in their previous matchup back in April, winning 7-2. Do the Spartans have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Warriors turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
