The Etna Lions will face off against the Stevenson Pirates at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Etna comes in on six and Stevenson on five.
Etna is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They came out on top against Los Molinos by a score of 9-6.
Emmett Stacher got the start for Etna and what a start it was: he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Stacher has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in 11 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Noah Hubbard, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with four runs and one triple. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Ashton Elam, who went 2-for-3 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one double.
Etna was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .412. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .318 or higher in six consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Stevenson got themselves on the board against Lincoln on Thursday, but Lincoln never followed suit. They put the hurt on the Mustangs with a sharp 6-0 victory. The Pirates might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten matchups by six runs or more this season.
Jacob Hall made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over five innings pitched. Hall was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and one double.
In other batting news, Stevenson let Jack Bucich and Tono Borgomini run wild. Bucich went 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double, while Borgomini went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. Phinn Thomas was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two runs and one double.
Etna's win was their 19th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 20-7. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.8 runs over those games. As for Stevenson, their win bumped their record up to 21-8.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Etna has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 7.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Stevenson struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
