The Lost River Raiders will venture away from home to face off against the Etna Lions at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Lost River has five straight victories, Etna has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Lost River gave up the first runs on Friday, but they didn't let that get them down. They were the clear victors by a 13-2 margin over Glendale. Considering the Raiders have won seven contests by more than nine runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Conner Guthrie was a standout: he went 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. That triple was his first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah O'Neill, who went 1-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Etna didn't have quite enough to beat Mt. Shasta on Friday and fell 2-1. The game marked the Lions' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Emmett Stacher put in work while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 12 over six innings pitched. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases. He has become a key player for Etna: the team is 8-2 when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 3-4 otherwise.
Stacher wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Noah Hubbard, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one double. Hubbard has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last eight times he's played. Another was Ashton Elam, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Lost River pushed their record up to 9-3 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.7 runs over those games. As for Etna, their loss dropped their record down to 11-6.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Lost River has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Etna struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Lost River suffered a grim 7-1 defeat to Etna in their previous matchup back in March of 2015. Can the Raiders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
