Baseball Game Preview: Lutheran Lions vs. Lewis-Palmer Rangers

The Lutheran Lions will venture away from home to take on the Lewis-Palmer Rangers at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Lewis-Palmer took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Lutheran, who comes in off a win.

Lutheran took a eight-run loss the last time they faced off against Cheyenne Mountain, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Lions came out on top in a nail-biter against the Red-Tailed Hawks on Friday, sneaking past 4-3. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Lions.

Payden Joyce tossed a big game, tossing 6.1 innings while giving up three earned runs off nine hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Lutheran saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was James Chumrau, who fired off two home runs while going 2-for-3. What's more, Chumrau posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in March.

Meanwhile, Lewis-Palmer faced Pine Creek in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Saturday. The Rangers fell just short of the Eagles by a score of 5-3. The Rangers' defeat signaled the end of their eight-game winning streak.

Lutheran pushed their record up to 12-9 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Lewis-Palmer, their loss dropped their record down to 17-3.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Lutheran has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Lewis-Palmer struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

Lutheran skirted past Lewis-Palmer 6-4 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Will the Lions repeat their success, or do the Rangers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.