Bartlett is 0-9 against Service since May of 2018 but things could change on Thursday. The Golden Bears will be playing at home against the Cougars at 5:15 p.m.
Bartlett is headed into Thursday's match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their eighth straight game dating back to last season on Monday. They fell 3-0 to Bettye Davis East Anchorage. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last three times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Meanwhile, Service put another one in the bag on Wednesday to keep their perfect season alive. Everything went their way against South Anchorage as they made off with a 17-9 victory. Considering the Cougars have won seven contests by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Weston Gracey was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit over 4.2 innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with three RBI, two doubles, and one run. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in hits (two).
In other batting news, Rilen Niclai was incredible, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with four stolen bases and three runs. That's the most runs he has posted since back in May of 2024. Palmer Dalton was another key player, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Service was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .417. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive games.
Service's win was their 14th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-0. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.4 runs on average over those games. As for Bartlett, their loss dropped their record down to 0-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Bartlett has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Service struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Bartlett suffered a grim 13-0 defeat to Service in their previous meeting back in April. Can the Golden Bears avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
