The Severance Silver Knights are taking a road trip to square off against the Northridge Grizzlies at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
Severance had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 14-run drubbing they dealt Greeley Central on Monday. The Silver Knights blew past the Wildcats 15-1. That looming 15-1 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Silver Knights yet this season.
Brady Iversen was a standout: he went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high. Jake Barnett also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
Severance was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .545. They are 7-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Northridge). Everything went their way against Hinkley on Monday as they made off with a 15-2 win. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Grizzlies' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Ruger Lancaster made a splash while hitting and pitching. He struck out 11 batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits (and only one walk). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Northridge let Beau Rupp and Jaycob Lermon run wild. Rupp went 1-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double, while Lermon went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Joel Vasquez was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Severance is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 12 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-6 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. Northridge's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-14.
Northridge's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Severance has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.2 hits per game. It's a different story for Northridge, though, as they've been averaging 9.4 hits. Given Severance's sizable advantage in that area, the Grizzlies will need to find a way to close that gap.
Severance took their victory against Northridge in their previous matchup back in March by a conclusive 12-2 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Silver Knights since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
