The St. Louis Sharks will face off against the Pinconning Spartans at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday. St. Louis is coming into the game hot, having won their last six games.
St. Louis' pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They had just enough and edged out Standish-Sterling 2-0. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Sharks have posted since April 4th.
Paige Luneack made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out ten over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one RBI. Those three hits gave her a new career-high.
Halle Hoyt
| 05/15/25 vs Standish-Sterling | 1 |
| 05/13/25 @ Meridian | 3 |
| 05/08/25 vs Harrison | 1 |
| 05/05/25 vs Beaverton | 2 |
| 04/29/25 @ Pinconning | 4 |
| + 7 more games |
Luneack wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Halle Hoyt, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one run. Hoyt is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: she's snagged at least one every time she's taken the field this season.
Ogemaw Heights hit Pinconning with a six-run seventh inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Spartans fell just short of the Falcons by a score of 8-7. The Spartans have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Kaylee Rugenstein made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Elizabeth Fath-Sylvester, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI.
St. Louis' win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-5. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.7 runs on average over those games. As for Pinconning, their loss dropped their record down to 7-10.
Saturday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. St. Louis hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .358. However, it's not like Pinconning struggles in that department as they've averaged .336. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went St. Louis' way against Pinconning in their previous matchup back in April, as St. Louis made off with an 11-5 win. Will the Sharks repeat their success, or do the Spartans have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
