The Lutheran Mustangs will venture away from home to take on the Great Hearts Northern Oaks Griffins at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
While Lutheran's victory against San Marcos Academy wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. Lutheran narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past San Marcos Academy 6-4. The victory continues a trend for the Mustangs in their matchups with the Bears: they've now won five in a row.
Keegan Stinson made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 14 over seven innings pitched. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-low in walks (zero). He was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
Stinson wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Malachy King, who scored a run while going 2-for-2. Jack Fiorenza was another, going 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Great Hearts Northern Oaks hadn't done well against Randolph recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Great Hearts Northern Oaks came out on top in a nail-biter against Randolph, sneaking past 9-8. While the Griffins didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-14), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Like Lutheran, Great Hearts Northern Oaks also got a great game from a two-way player: Nicholas Franzese. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over six innings while giving up six earned (and one unearned) runs off eight hits (and only one walk). Franzese has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with four RBI and one stolen base. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Eli Mazeika, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4. Great Hearts Northern Oaks is undefeated when Mazeika posts two or more runs, but 2-3 otherwise. Colin Matson also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
The win was the third in a row for Great Hearts Northern Oaks, bringing their record for this year to 6-3. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.3 runs over those games. As for Lutheran, their record now sits at 8-5.
Great Hearts Northern Oaks' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Lutheran hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .359. It's a different story for Great Hearts Northern Oaks, though, as they've only averaged .221. Will they be able to contain Lutheran's hitters? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
