Baseball Game Preview: Mars Fightin' Planets vs. Avonworth Antelopes

The Mars Fightin' Planets will face off against the Avonworth Antelopes at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Mars 3.8, Avonworth 2.2) so any runs scored will be well earned.

The home team had come away the winner the last four times Mars and West Allegheny had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. The Fightin' Planets came out on top against the Indians by a score of 8-4 on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Avonworth, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They walked away with a 6-1 win over South Park on Wednesday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

Carson Franc spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on three hits and racked up 12 Ks. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Mason Metz was incredible, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one home run, two stolen bases, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Jack Dolan, who went 2-for-4 with one home run and two RBI.

Avonworth's victory was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 14-3-1. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for Mars, they now have a winning record of 9-8.