For the first time this season, Prairie Heights will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They will host the West Noble Chargers at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Prairie Heights is looking for their season's first victory.
Prairie Heights is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They fell just short of Bronson by a score of 8-7 on Wednesday.
Prairie Heights saw eight different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Joel Graber, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and two RBI. Those RBI were Graber's first of the season. Another was Braydon Duke, who scored a run while going 1-for-4.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last game, West Noble made sure to put some runs up on the board against Hamilton on Wednesday. The Chargers blew past the Marines 25-2.
Trey Shisler and Trevor Steele made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Shisler tossed three innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. Meanwhile, Steele struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high. At bat, Shisler scored four runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4, while Steele scored three runs and stole a base while going 4-for-5.
In other batting news, Joe Button was a standout: he scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Rolando Villanueva was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one home run and four RBI.
West Noble was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .447. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .304 or higher every time they've taken the field this season.
Prairie Heights' defeat dropped their record down to 0-4. As for West Noble, their win ended a ten-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Prairie Heights has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like West Noble struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
