The Kentridge Chargers will take on the Decatur Golden Gators at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Kentridge 3.8, Decatur 1.6) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Kentridge's usually-dominant pitching crew will be looking to make up for Tuesday's struggle, when Mt. Rainier hitters got past them. The Chargers came up short against the Rams on Tuesday, falling 10-0. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Chargers have suffered since April 9th.
Meanwhile, Decatur came tearing into Tuesday's match with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.2 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They never let the Royals get on the board and left with a 16-0 victory. The result was nothing new for the Golden Gators, who have now won 11 games by six runs or more so far this season.
Alex Dutenhoffer made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (three). He was also big at the plate, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That stolen base was his first of the season.
In other pitching news, Landon Le looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits (and not a single walk). That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in March.
Back at the plate, Decatur got a massive performance out of Cervantes (CJ) Gatterson, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and one RBI. Those three runs gave Gatterson a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Spencer Holloway, who went 2-for-4 with three runs, two doubles, and one RBI.
Decatur hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Kent-Meridian struck out nine times.
Decatur pushed their record up to 19-1-1 with the win, which was their eighth straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs over those games. As for Kentridge, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 12-6-1 record this season.
