Baseball Game Preview: Bureau Valley Storm vs. Ashton-Franklin Center Raiders

The Bureau Valley Storm will face off against the Ashton-Franklin Center Raiders at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.

Bureau Valley is returning to their home field after beating Eastland on theirs, despite the fact Eastland has dominated at home this season. The Storm put the hurt on the Cougars with a sharp 11-3 victory on Friday. Considering the Storm have won 13 contests by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.

Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Ashton-Franklin Center ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They walked away with a 19-16 win over Newark.

Aaron Lester was a standout: he went 2-for-5 with six stolen bases, four runs, and one RBI. He has become a key player for Ashton-Franklin Center: the team is 11-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 6-10 otherwise. Nolan Rueff was another key player, going 3-for-5 with one home run, two runs, and two doubles.

They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Ashton-Franklin Center kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 18 hits. They are 9-2 when they post 11 or more hits.

Bureau Valley has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 21-9 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.5 runs over those games. As for Ashton-Franklin Center, their win bumped their record up to 17-11.

Bureau Valley beat Ashton-Franklin Center 4-1 in their previous meeting back in May of 2018. Will the Storm repeat their success, or do the Raiders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.