Baseball Game Preview: Orion Chargers vs. Bushnell-Prairie City Spartans

The Orion Chargers will head out on the road to take on the Bushnell-Prairie City Spartans at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Orion will be strutting in after a victory while Bushnell-Prairie City will be coming in after a loss.

Orion took a 16-run defeat the last time they faced off against East Moline United, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. Orion won by a run and slipped past East Moline United 8-7.

Dayne Franks was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched 3.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. Franks was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-3. Those hits marked the first that he got this season.

Franks wasn't the only one making solid contact as six players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Ethan Hamerlinck, who scored a run while going 1-for-2. Mason Laleman also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.

Orion was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.

Meanwhile, Bushnell-Prairie City was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss dating back to last season. They lost 11-1 to Ridgewood [AlWood/Cambridge].

Bushnell-Prairie City's defeat dropped their record down to 0-3. As for Orion, their record is now 2-3.

Everything went Orion's way against Bushnell-Prairie City when the teams last played back in March of 2024, as Orion made off with a 20-10 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Orion since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.