Byron Center is preparing for their first league matchup of the season on Tuesday. They will take on the Mona Shores Sailors at 4:15 p.m. Byron Center's pitching crew has only allowed 0.8 runs per game this season, so Mona Shores' hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Byron Center took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They walked away with a 5-2 victory over Catholic Central.
Keaton Van Kampen looked comfortable as he tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
At the plate, Kellen Payne was excellent, going 1-for-2 with one home run. That home run was his first of the season. Tate Bainbridge was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Mona Shores waltzed into their matchup on Thursday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They came out on top against the Vikings by a score of 10-5. Ten seems to be a good number for the Sailors as the team scooped up a win with the same number of runs in their previous game.
The team relied heavily on Trevor Cunningham, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Hunter Krueger, who went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases and two runs.
Mona Shores kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in four consecutive contests.
Mona Shores' victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-2. 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 Byron Center, their record now sits at 4-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Byron Center has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Mona Shores struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
