Baseball Game Preview: Owatonna Huskies vs. Apple Valley Eagles

The Owatonna Huskies will face off against the Apple Valley Eagles at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

On Thursday, Owatonna beat Century 7-3. The victory continues a trend for the Huskies in their matchups with the Panthers: they've now won five in a row.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Apple Valley). They put the hurt on Lakeville South with a sharp 13-3 win on Wednesday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last seven times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

Paxton Ames spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned runs on five hits and racked up nine Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Cam Noland was a standout: he went 2-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. He has become a key player for Apple Valley: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 2-10 otherwise. Ryan Christiansen was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double.

Apple Valley always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .541. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in four consecutive games.

Owatonna's victory bumped their record up to 9-5. As for Apple Valley, their win bumped their record up to 5-10.