Baseball Preview: Auburn Bulldogs vs. Platteview Trojans
Auburn is 1-7 against Platteview since April of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Auburn Bulldogs will head out on the road to take on the Platteview Trojans at 4:30 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the pair will really light up the scoreboard.
Auburn scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Monday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Benson a 29-0 shutout. With that win, Auburn brought their scoring average up to 7.1 runs per game.
Travon Shaw made a big impact no matter where he played. He tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also didn't allow any walks). Shaw was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-2.
In other batting news, Auburn let Levi Boellstorff and Christian Gage loose on the outfield. Boellstorff got on base in all four of his plate appearances with four runs, three RBI, and a triple, while Gage scored five runs while going 3-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Jackson Warner, who went 3-for-5 with four RBI, two runs, and a stolen base.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Platteview ultimately got the result they hoped for on Monday. They blew past Wayne 14-3. For those curious, yes, that was the biggest victory Platteview has managed all season.
Like Auburn, Platteview also got a great game from a two-way player: Bryson Banks. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also only allowed one walk). Banks was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-2.
In other pitching news, Platteview got a great performance from Ethan Loffer as he pitched 4.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off two hits. Loffer has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive pitching appearances.
Back at the plate, Dezmond Straatman was a standout: he scored two runs while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. Tucker Riha was another key contributor, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-5.
The win was the third in a row for Auburn, bringing their record for this year to 5-8. Those good results were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.0 runs per game. As for Platteview, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 8-8.
Auburn came up short against Platteview in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, falling 11-7. Thankfully for Auburn, Gage Ryba (who went 4-for-5 with two triples, three runs, and four RBI) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
