The Loveland Tigers are taking a road trip to face off against the Lebanon Warriors at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Loveland's pitching crew has only allowed 3.1 runs per game this season, so Lebanon's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Loveland easily dispatched Walnut Hills on Wednesday, but unfortunately both the margin and the ultimate result were a different story in this one. The Tigers fell just short of Archbishop Moeller by a score of 3-1 on Thursday. The matchup marked the Tigers' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
Loveland got a good showing from Will Bertke, who tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Bertke has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Loveland saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Dylan Hacker, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base.
While Lebanon didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-19), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. Everything went their way against West Clermont on Wednesday as they made off with a 10-2 victory. Considering the Warriors have won five games by more than six runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Lebanon also got a great performance from Isaac Rose as he pitched five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits.
On the hitting side, Vincent Strickland was a standout: he went 3-for-5 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. That triple was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Bryce Bohman, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Lebanon was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .471. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .310 or higher in four consecutive matches.
Loveland moved to 8-3 with that loss, which also ended their five-game winning streak. As for Lebanon, their record is now 8-2.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Loveland has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Lebanon struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Loveland couldn't quite finish off Lebanon in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 and fell 2-0. Can the Tigers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
