Baseball Game Preview: St. Joseph-Ogden Spartans vs. Charleston Trojans

St. Joseph-Ogden has won eight straight games at home, while Charleston has won eight straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Thursday. The Spartans will welcome the Trojans at 4:30 p.m. After the two teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Thursday.

St. Joseph-Ogden's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They blew past Westville 7-0. The Spartans might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 15 contests by six runs or more this season.

Charleston came out on top against Altamont on Wednesday thanks in part to the team's impressive six-run second inning. The Trojans put the hurt on the Indians with a sharp 9-0 victory. The win continues a trend for the Trojans in their matchups with the Indians: they've now won seven in a row.

Russell Applegate made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out nine over six innings pitched. Applegate was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. That's the most RBI he has posted over his last 11 matchups.

In other batting news, Corbin Parker was excellent, going 1-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in May of 2024. Another player making a difference was Luke Bonnstetter, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with one stolen base.

Charleston always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .529. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Altamont only posted an OBP of .222.

St. Joseph-Ogden's victory bumped their record up to 23-2. As for Charleston, their win bumped their record up to 7-11.

St. Joseph-Ogden took their victory against Charleston when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 23-0 score. Do the Spartans have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Trojans turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.