Baseball Game Preview: Lowell Devils vs. Oakridge Warriors

The Lowell Devils will venture away from home to take on the Oakridge Warriors at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Lowell will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.

While Lowell didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-12), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They were the clear victors by a 13-3 margin over Oakland on Wednesday. The Devils might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four games by six runs or more this season.

Meanwhile, it may have taken nine innings to finish the job, but Oakridge ultimately got the result they hoped for on Wednesday. They had just enough and edged out Camas Valley 9-8. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Warriors have posted since March 22nd.

Cole Walters made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 4-for-5. Those four hits gave him a new career-high.

In other pitching news, Oakridge got a great performance from Jasper Spoon as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over five innings pitched. Spoon has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances.

Walters wasn't the only one making solid contact as six players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Adam Palanuk, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-5. Those two stolen bases gave Palanuk a new career-high. Maxwell Maher was another, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of his six plate appearances.

Oakridge's win was their first in the league, bumping their league record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 8-5. As for Lowell, their record now sits at 6-3.

Lowell came out on top in a nail-biter against Oakridge in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, sneaking past 6-5. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Devils since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.