Baseball Game Preview: Grass Lake Warriors vs. Manchester Flying Dutchmen

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Previous 6 Games

05/08/24 - Away	5-8 L
05/06/24 - Home	14-12 W
05/27/21 - Neutral	11-10 W
05/26/21 - Home	7-10 L
05/26/21 - Home	5-6 L
05/13/19 - Home	9-0 W

Grass Lake and Manchester are an even 3-3 against one another since May of 2019, but likely not for long. The Warriors will face off against the Flying Dutchmen at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Grass Lake's pitching crew has only allowed 3.3 runs per game this season, so Manchester's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Grass Lake had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the six-run drubbing they dealt Homer on Monday. The Warriors were the clear victors by a 7-1 margin over the Trojans. The Warriors might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matches by six runs or more this season.

Meanwhile, Manchester was able to grind out a solid win over Homer on Friday, taking the game 7-2.

Neil Gebhardt made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over 6.2 innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. He is becoming a predictor of Manchester's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 1-4 when he doesn't).

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jackson Walz, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Ben Pauly, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and one RBI.

Manchester pushed their record up to 6-4 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.8 runs over those games. As for Grass Lake, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record up to 10-1.

Grass Lake came up short against Manchester in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, falling 8-5. Can the Warriors avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.