Baseball Game Preview: Capital Cougars vs. Lakes Lancers

The Capital Cougars will square off against the Lakes Lancers at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Capital's pitching crew has only allowed 4.1 runs per game this season, so Lakes' hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Capital's usually-dominant pitching crew will be looking to make up for Wednesday's struggle, when Bellarmine Prep hitters got past them. The Cougars fell 10-7 to the Lions on Wednesday. The Cougars' loss continues a trend for the squad, making it three in a row.

Meanwhile, Lakes got themselves on the board against Mount Tahoma on Wednesday, but Mount Tahoma never followed suit. They put the hurt on the T-Birds with a sharp 11-0 victory. The win continues a trend for the Lancers in their matchups with the T-Birds: they've now won eight in a row.

Ivan Gonzalez was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out eight over six innings pitched. Those eight strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and one run.

In other batting news, James Kennedy was excellent, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. Aaron Miller was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI.

Lakes always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive matchups.

Lakes' victory bumped their record up to 4-17. As for Capital, their defeat dropped their record down to 13-6.

Capital took their win against Lakes in their previous meeting back in March by a conclusive 6-0 score. Do the Cougars have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Lancers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.