Baseball Preview: American Heritage Patriots vs. Intermountain Christian Lions
The American Heritage Patriots will stay at home for another game and welcome the Intermountain Christian Lions at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. American Heritage knows how to get runs on the board -- the squad has finished with ten run or more in their past six matches -- so hopefully Intermountain Christian likes a good challenge.
Last Thursday, American Heritage got the win against Maeser Prep Academy by a conclusive 11-1. Considering the Patriots have won nine games by more than eight runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Sam Werner made a big impact no matter where he played. He struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and not a single walk). Werner was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-3.
In other batting news, American Heritage got a massive performance out of Matthew Lake, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Luke Stratton was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Intermountain Christian was able to grind out a solid victory over Utah Military Academy - Hill Field on Friday, taking the game 13-8. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Lions.
Like American Heritage, Intermountain Christian also got a great game from a two-way player: Noah Hillaker. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. The dominant performance gave Hillaker a new career-high in hits. He was even better at the plate, going 5-for-5 with four runs, three RBI, and a triple.
In other batting news, Jonathan Doty was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah Furze, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Intermountain Christian didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with 12 strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Utah Military Academy - Hill Field only tossed five.
American Heritage is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten contests, which provided a massive bump to their 10-7 record this season. As for Intermountain Christian, their win bumped their record up to 9-3-1.
Tuesday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. American Heritage has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of 0. However, it's not like Intermountain Christian struggles in that department as they've averaged 0. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
American Heritage took their victory against Intermountain Christian in their previous matchup back in October of 2023 by a conclusive 13-3. Will American Heritage repeat their success, or does Intermountain Christian have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
