Baseball Game Preview: North Pike Jaguars vs. West Lincoln Bears

The North Pike Jaguars will head out on the road to take on the West Lincoln Bears at 11:30 a.m. on Monday. North Pike is coming into the matchup on a three-game losing streak.

Things were looking good for North Pike after they put the first points on the board on Friday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They fell 8-3 to Florence.

Dominic Smith put in work while hitting and pitching. He pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit in five consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base and two RBI.

In other pitching news, North Pike got a good showing from Brennan Boleware, who pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.

Meanwhile, West Lincoln hadn't done well against Tylertown recently (they were 0-6 in their previous six matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. Everything went West Lincoln's way against Tylertown as West Lincoln made off with a 13-1 victory.

West Lincoln's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-3. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.7 runs over those games. As for North Pike, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-4.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. North Pike has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like West Lincoln struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.