Baseball Game Preview: Barnum Bombers vs. Kelley Mariners

The Barnum Bombers will head out to face off against the Kelley Mariners at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Barnum knows how to get runs on the board -- the team has finished with ten runs or more in their past three games -- so hopefully Kelley likes a good challenge.

Barnum's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They blew past Two Harbors 12-0. The Bombers have beaten the Agates the last seven times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Agates has come to flipping the script.

Eli Gilbertson

Batters Struck Out (Career)

05/09/25 vs Two Harbors	6
04/10/25 @ Braham	4
04/29/25 vs Moose Lake/Willow River	2
05/06/25 vs Cromwell	1

Eli Gilbertson was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out six over five innings pitched. Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two runs.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Carter Hautajarvi, who fired off two home runs and four RBI while going 2-for-3. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Eoghan Heaslip, who went 2-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.

Barnum lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.

Two Harbors hit Kelley with a eight-run fifth inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Mariners fell 14-9 to the Agates. Mariners fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Agates since on Tuesday.

Barnum's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-3. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Kelley, they now have a losing record of 2-3-1.

Barnum might still be hurting after the 8-1 loss they got from Kelley in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Bombers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.