Baseball Game Preview: Shoreland Lutheran Pacers vs. Luther Prep Phoenix

The Shoreland Lutheran Pacers will head out to challenge the Luther Prep Phoenix at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.

Shoreland Lutheran is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 14 runs last Thursday, they were much more limited against Wilmot on Tuesday. They fell just short of the Panthers by a score of 3-2.

Slayton Smith spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on three hits.

At the plate, Shoreland Lutheran saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ian Bigelow, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.

Meanwhile, Luther Prep was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They came up short against University School of Milwaukee, falling 10-4.

Micah Westendorf made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.

Luther Prep's defeat dropped their record down to 4-11. As for Shoreland Lutheran, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 9-7-1 record this season.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Shoreland Lutheran has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Luther Prep struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.

Shoreland Lutheran was able to grind out a solid victory over Luther Prep in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, winning 8-4. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Pacers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.