The University Red Devils will take on the Washington Eagles at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. The timing is sure in University's favor as the team sits on nine straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Washington has been banged up by six consecutive losses on the road also dating back to last season.
On Thursday, University had just enough and edged out Skyline 9-8. That's two games straight that the Red Devils have won by just one run.
Jett Messenger and Sabin Verplaetse made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Messenger pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Meanwhile, Verplaetse pitched 4.2 innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. At bat, Messenger went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI, while Verplaetse scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances.
In other batting news, Quincy Nash was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing Two bases. while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Owen Chee, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, after low-scoring totals in their previous three contests, Washington brought some dynamite into their most recent match. They never let Balboa get on the board and left with a 16-0 win on Thursday. The Eagles haven't had any issues with the Buccaneers recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive victory against them.
Like University, Washington also got a great game from a two-way player: Tasso Tourlos. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. That's the fewest hits Tourlos has allowed since back in March of 2024. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and three doubles. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March of 2024.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Nick Wilson, who scored four runs and stole Three bases. while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Liam Troy, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Washington always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .611. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
University's win bumped their record up to 4-0. As for Washington, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-3.
Everything went University's way against Washington in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, as University made off with a 14-1 win. Will University repeat their success, or does Washington have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
