Baseball Preview: Fossil Ridge SaberCats vs. Loveland Red Wolves
Fossil Ridge and Loveland are an even 4-4 against one another since April of 2015, but likely not for long. The Fossil Ridge SaberCats will be playing in front of their home fans against the Loveland Red Wolves at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Fossil Ridge will be looking to keep their 15-game home win streak dating back to last season alive.
In what's become a running theme this season, Fossil Ridge gave their fans yet another huge win on Wednesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Fairview a 6-0 shutout. Six seems to be a good number for Fossil Ridge as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Not much got past Brek Benedict, who gave up just four hits and racked up 13 Ks to keep Fairview off the board.
On the hitting side, Fossil Ridge let Shane Crough and Luc Gaca-Thiele loose on the outfield. Crough scored two runs and stole two bases, while Gaca-Thiele went 2-for-2 with two RBI. Another player making a difference was Hayden Bradford, who got on base in two of his three plate appearances with a stolen base and an RBI.
Meanwhile, Loveland sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-5 win over Erie on Wednesday.
Connor Griess looked comfortable as he pitched an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jackson Niederwerder, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3. Jess Smith was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Fossil Ridge's victory bumped their record up to 16-1. As for Loveland, their win bumped their record up to 8-9.
Thursday's game will be a test for both team's pitchers. Fossil Ridge hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .382. However, it's not like Loveland struggles in that department as they've averaged .319. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
