The Manchester Blue Devils are taking a road trip to square off against the Lafayette Christian Cougars at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Manchester is coming into the matchup on a six-game losing streak.
Manchester lost 12-1 to Callaway on Monday.
Manchester saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brady Daniel, who went 2-for-3 with one double. That double was Daniel's first of the season.
Meanwhile, Lafayette Christian got the win against Oaks on Tuesday by a conclusive 11-2. With that victory, the Cougars brought their scoring average up to 6.3 runs per game.
Josiah Hughes was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He struck out 11 batters over 4.2 innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 5.5 strikeouts per game. He was also big at the plate, earning two runs and one stolen base. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Cody Batastini, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one triple. He has become a key player for Lafayette Christian: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 1-2 otherwise.
Lafayette Christian kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Lafayette Christian has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-2 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.5 runs on average over those games. As for Manchester, their loss dropped their record down to 1-6.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Manchester has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Lafayette Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Manchester came up short against Lafayette Christian in their previous meeting two weeks ago, falling 5-0. Can the Blue Devils avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
