Baseball Preview: White Pine Bobcats vs. Needles Mustangs
White Pine is 1-8 against Needles since April of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The White Pine Bobcats will be playing in front of their home fans against the Needles Mustangs at 11:00 a.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Needles is hoping to do on Friday what Awaken Christian couldn't on Friday: put an end to White Pine's winning streak, which now stands at six games. White Pine was the clear victor by a 13-1 margin over Awaken Christian.
Tucker Maestes made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off eight hits (and only one walk). Maestes has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive pitching appearances. Maestes was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, White Pine let Maddox Sedlacek and Dylan Cessford loose on the outfield. Sedlacek went 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and a triple, while Cessford got on base in all three of his plate appearances with two runs, a triple, and two RBI. Ryan Walker was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Meanwhile, everything went Needles' way against Pahrump Valley on Monday as Needles made off with an 8-2 win.
Like White Pine, Needles also got a great game from a two-way player: Holden Jones. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Jones was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with a stolen base and an RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Collin Smith, who went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Tyler Wilson, who scored a run and stole three bases while going 4-for-4.
White Pine's victory bumped their record up to 16-1. As for Needles, their win bumped their record up to 15-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. White Pine has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Needles struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.6. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
White Pine suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Needles in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. Will White Pine have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
