The Dardanelle Sand Lizards will challenge the Rose Bud Ramblers at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
As a matter of fact, Dardanelle put up the most points they have all season last Friday. They were the clear victors by a 19-3 margin over Waldron. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Kam Olson made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). What's more, he gave up only zero earned runs, the fewest he's had since back in February. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing two bases. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, Cam Evans and Scout Bull did most of the damage at the plate: Evans went 2-for-4 with five RBI, one run, and one double, while Bull scored four runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Those five RBI gave Evans a new career-high. Ian Branson also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Dardanelle always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .524. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Rose Bud waltzed into their matchup on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over the Bison. The Ramblers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven games by nine runs or more this season.
Jay Bell was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Bell was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing four bases while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Calan English, who scored three runs and stole three bases while going 1-for-2. Another player making a difference was Caden Calhoun, who went 1-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run.
Rose Bud's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-3. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Dardanelle, their record now sits at 5-6.
