Baseball Recap: Luther Prep Comes Up Short

Luther Prep had lost ten straight on the road, but on Thursday they dropped their record down to 7-14 to make it 11. They took a 12-7 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Lake Country Lutheran Lightning. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Phoenix of the 13-1 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in May of 2024.

Michel Krebs and Lucas Martin stepped up to the plate in a big way. Krebs got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base, while Martin went 1-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Micah Westendorf, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one double and one RBI.

As for Lake Country Lutheran, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games.

On Lake Country Lutheran's side, David Nehls looked comfortable as he tossed 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Nehls has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Grant Manthei and Gabe Snyder did most of the damage at the plate: Manthei went 4-for-5 with four RBI and one run, while Snyder went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. Those four RBI gave Manthei a new career-high. Preston Manthei was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.

Coming up, Luther Prep will be playing at home against Johnson Creek at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Lake Country Lutheran, they will square off against Altoona at 5:00 p.m. on Friday.