The Bartram Trail Bears will take on the Oakleaf Knights at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Bartram Trail's pitching crew has only allowed three runs per game this season, so Oakleaf's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Bartram Trail heads in on the heels of a playoff contest last Wednesday. They took a 5-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of Tocoi Creek. This is the Bears'third heartbreak in a row against the Toros following a 6-0 back in March of 2025.
Bartram Trail got a good showing from Coleson Baum, who tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Baum has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than one walk any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Bartram Trail saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Luke Labbe, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one double.
Meanwhile, after a string of seven wins, Oakleaf's good fortune finally ran out last Tuesday. They fell just short of Forest by a score of 4-3.
Jeremiah Renaldo spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered four earned runs on six hits and racked up 11 Ks.
At the plate, Elijah Brown made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Jeter Farina, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run.
Bartram Trail's defeat dropped their record down to 16-10. As for Oakleaf, their loss dropped their record down to 12-14.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Bartram Trail has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Oakleaf struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Bartram Trail skirted past Oakleaf 2-1 in their previous matchup back in April of 2021. Do the Bears have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Knights turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
