Baseball Preview: Conneaut Area Eagles vs. Titusville Rockets
After three games on the road, Conneaut Area is heading back home. They will take on the Titusville Rockets at 4:00 p.m. on Monday.
Conneaut Area will head into Thursday's contest ready to turn things around: they couldn't quite beat Slippery Rock on Thursday but the two-point margin was a huge improvement compared to the nine-point loss they were dealt on Monday. Conneaut Area fell just short of Slippery Rock by a score of 6-4. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Conneaut Area in their matchups with Slippery Rock: they've now lost four in a row.
Alex Wilpula was huge no matter where he played even without the win. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Wilpula has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive pitching appearances. Wilpula was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with three RBI, a triple, and a run.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Titusville ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Grove City and snuck past 6-5. The win was some much needed relief for Titusville as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.
Like Conneaut Area, Titusville also got a great game from a two-way player: Brett Schmidt. He struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off four hits. Schmidt was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with an RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jaxon Covell, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Conneaut Area's loss dropped their record down to 0-7. As for Titusville, their victory bumped their record up to 2-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Conneaut Area has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Titusville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Conneaut Area might still be hurting after the 11-4 defeat they got from Titusville in their previous meeting back in May of 2023. Thankfully for Conneaut Area, Kasen Neely (who struck out six batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
