Baseball Game Preview: St. Clair Saints vs. New Haven Rockets

The St. Clair Saints will head out on the road to square off against the New Haven Rockets at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. St. Clair's pitching crew has only allowed 3.8 runs per game this season, so New Haven's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

St. Clair is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering L'Anse Creuse North just ended the team's five-game winning streak on Tuesday. They fell 8-4 to the Crusaders. Saints fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team has lost against the Crusaders since Tuesday.

New Haven came out on top against Warren Woods-Tower on Tuesday thanks in part to the team's impressive seven-run second inning. The Rockets blew past the Titans 10-0. The result was nothing new for the Rockets, who have now won 13 games by seven runs or more so far this season.

Kaden Gilbert was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one triple, one stolen base, and one run.

In other batting news, Connor Abuan was excellent, going 3-for-4 with three runs. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April.

New Haven pushed their record up to 19-7-1 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.7 runs over those games. As for St. Clair, their loss dropped their record down to 20-8.

St. Clair was able to grind out a solid win over New Haven in their previous matchup on May 8th, winning 12-7. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Saints since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.