The Gardiner Tigers are taking a road trip to face off against the Nokomis Warriors at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Nokomis took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Gardiner, who comes in off a win.
It was a proper cat-fight when Gardiner took on Medomak Valley on Wednesday. The Tigers came out on top against the Panthers by a score of 4-1. While the Tigers didn't have the best season last year (they finished 5-10), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Joe Goraj spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on two hits.
At the plate, Gardiner let Dillon Farnham and Zach Reed run wild. Farnham went a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base and one run, while Reed went 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. Alex Roy was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two stolen bases.
Cony hit Nokomis with a four-run first inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Warriors took a 12-7 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Rams. The Warriors have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Jacob Bubar made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. That run was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Owen Buck, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Gardiner has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-2 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.4 runs over those games. As for Nokomis, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-4.
Nokomis' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Gardiner hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .340. It's a different story for Nokomis, though, as they've only averaged .228. Will they be able to contain Gardiner's hitters?
Gardiner couldn't quite get it done against Nokomis in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 as they fell 6-3. Can the Tigers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
