Baseball Game Preview: Buckley Bears vs. Traverse City Christian Sabres

The Buckley Bears will head out to face off against the Traverse City Christian Sabres at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday. Buckley has given up an average of 7.9 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Glen Lake hit Buckley with a six-run fifth inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Bears came up short against the Lakers, falling 14-0. The loss continues a trend for the Bears in their meetings with the Lakers: they've now lost four in a row.

Meanwhile, after soaring to 11 runs the game before, Traverse City Christian was a bit more limited in their match on Monday. They lost 8-0 to St. Francis. The contest marked the first time this year in which the Sabres were not able to get on the board.

Traverse City Christian saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Caleb Chinlund, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base. Isaiah Willis also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.

Traverse City Christian has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 3-3 record this season. As for Buckley, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-7.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Buckley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Traverse City 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.

Buckley might still be hurting after the 14-0 loss they got from Traverse City Christian when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can the Bears avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.