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| 04/25/19 - Home | 4-0 W |
| 05/26/16 - Neutral | 13-8 W |
| 05/26/16 - Neutral | 7-5 W |
Lakeview is a perfect 3-0 against Coldwater since May of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Spartans will square off against the Cardinals at 5:00 p.m. Lakeview will be strutting in after a victory while Coldwater will be coming in after a loss.
On Thursday, Lakeview was able to grind out a solid win over Kalamazoo Central, taking the game 7-4.
Gavin Deal made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over 6.1 innings while giving up four earned runs off six hits. Those seven strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one run and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Sam McCullough, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one run and one RBI. Isaiah Jackson was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double.
Gull Lake hit Coldwater with a six-run first inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Cardinals came up short against the Blue Devils, falling 9-2. The defeat continues a trend for the Cardinals in their meetings with the Blue Devils: they've now lost five in a row.
Like Lakeview, Coldwater also got a great game from a two-way player: Owen Tappenden. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Tappenden was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one double.
Lakeview is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-12 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.6 runs on average over those games. As for Coldwater, their loss dropped their record down to 4-9.
Lakeview was able to grind out a solid win over Coldwater in their previous matchup back in April of 2019, winning 4-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Spartans since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
