Baseball Game Preview: Walled Lake Central Vikings vs. Kettering Captains

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Previous Games

05/18/24 - Home	13-9 W
05/18/24 - Home	7-1 W
05/17/24 - Away	14-0 W
05/17/23 - Home	13-3 W
05/16/23 - Away	8-5 W
+ 5 more games

Walled Lake Central is 8-2 against Kettering since April of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Tuesday. The Vikings will face off against the Captains at 4:00 p.m. Walled Lake Central has given up an average of 6.6 runs per game this season, but Tuesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Walled Lake Central came up short against Milford on Saturday, falling 11-5.

Meanwhile, Kettering waltzed into their matchup on Monday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They blew past the Corsairs 11-2.

BRADY TOLKE and CARSON REKAR made a splash no matter where they played. Throwing, TOLKE pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, REKAR pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. TOLKE has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. At bat, TOLKE went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI, while REKAR went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Those two runs gave TOLKE a new career-high.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on DEAN SHEPARD, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in April. ZACH HELKA was another key player, earning two runs and two stolen bases.

Kettering hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Mott struck out nine times.

Kettering's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-13. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.3 runs over those games. As for Walled Lake Central, they now have a losing record of 12-13-1.

Walled Lake Central beat Kettering 13-9 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Vikings since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.