The Eaton Reds will face off against the Manitou Springs Mustangs at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The timing isn't great for Eaton: they have been struggling with three straight losses at home, while Manitou Springs has snatched up three consecutive wins on the road.
Eaton had taken Forge Christian down for two straight games at home, but that winning streak came to an end on Saturday. The Reds fell 6-1 to the Fury.
Eaton saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Malaki Dalpra, who went 1-for-3 with one RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Manitou Springs). They put the hurt on La Junta with a sharp 15-6 victory on Saturday. The result was nothing new for the Mustangs, who have now won five matchups by six runs or more so far this season.
Ben Perkins was a standout: he got on base in all six of his plate appearances with two runs and two RBI. Manitou Springs is undefeated when Perkins posts two or more runs, but 5-7 otherwise. Maxton Bolster was another key player, getting on base in four of his six plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Manitou Springs kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.3 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 10.4.
Manitou Springs is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine games. That's provided a massive bump to their 9-7 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Eaton, their loss dropped their record down to 11-6.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Eaton has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Manitou Springs struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 2.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Eaton was able to grind out a solid victory over Manitou Springs in their previous matchup back in May of 2017, winning 6-1. Will the Reds repeat their success, or do the Mustangs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
