Baseball Game Preview: Lorena Leopards vs. Salado Eagles

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Previous Games

02/29/24 - Neutral	6-12 L
02/19/24 - Away	1-3 L
03/11/23 - Away	5-6 L
03/02/23 - Away	5-4 W
02/23/23 - Away	4-3 W
+ 5 more games

Lorena and Salado are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2018, but likely not for long. The Leopards will challenge the Eagles on Saturday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Lorena sitting on four straight wins and Salado on six.

Lorena barely beat Whitney the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Leopards blew past the Wildcats 14-1 on Saturday. The result was nothing new for the Leopards, who have now won ten contests by ten runs or more so far this season.

Salado came out on top against Little River Academy on Saturday thanks in part to the team's impressive seven-run sixth inning. The Eagles put the hurt on the Bumblebees with a sharp 11-1 victory. Salado's win was all the more impressive since the Bumblebees were averaging only 3.67 runs allowed on the season.

Brayden Naegele was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and not a single walk). He has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in 11 consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in February.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on BJ Amann, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run and three RBI. Those four hits gave him a new career-high. Landen Noske was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs.

Lorena's victory bumped their record up to 18-7. As for Salado, their win bumped their record up to 21-9.

Lorena suffered a grim 12-6 defeat to Salado when the teams last played back in February of 2024. Can the Leopards avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.