Baseball Game Preview: Preston Knights vs. Lincoln Cougars

Preston is 1-7 against Lincoln since April of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Knights will look to defend their home field against the Cougars at 5:30 p.m. Preston will be strutting in after a win while Lincoln will be coming in after a loss.

Preston headed into their last game having not scored more than two runs for three straight, but Philip Barbour let them put that streak behind them. The Knights put the hurt on the Colts with a sharp 12-2 victory on Friday. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Knights as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.

Preston got a great performance from Lukas McVicker as he pitched five innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits.

On the hitting side, Preston let Cooper Thaler and Bryson McNew run wild. Thaler went a perfect 4-for-4 with three stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs, while McNew went 2-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and one double. That's the most RBI McNew has posted since back in April of 2024. Slaton Manko was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.

Preston always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .600. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

Meanwhile, Lincoln was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They came up short against Northern Garrett, falling 14-4.

Preston pushed their record up to 5-5 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for Lincoln, they now have a losing record of 8-9.

Preston was able to grind out a solid victory over Lincoln when the teams last played back in April of 2024, winning 9-6. Will the Knights repeat their success, or do the Cougars have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.