The Elmwood Royals will challenge the Northwood Rangers at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Elmwood is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.4 runs per game this season.
Elmwood will roll into the game after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Tuesday, then bounced right back against Leipsic on Wednesday. The Royals were the clear victors by a 10-3 margin over the Vikings. The Royals might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven contests by six runs or more this season.
Zackery Gross
| 04/23/25 @ Leipsic | 2 |
| 04/22/25 vs Otsego | 1 |
| 04/16/25 @ Lima Central Catholic | 1 |
| 04/14/25 vs Ada | 1 |
| 04/09/25 vs Vanlue | 1 |
Zackery Gross made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. Gross was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. Those two RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Colton Bradford was excellent, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. Landon Snow was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three RBI.
Emmanuel Christian hit Northwood with a four-run second inning on Thursday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Rangers came up short against the Warriors, falling 11-5.
Northwood saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Bryceson Laurell, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Elmwood pushed their record up to 9-3 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Northwood, they have been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 3-10 record this season.
Northwood's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Elmwood has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .474. It's a different story for Northwood, though, as they've only averaged .301. Will they be able to contain Elmwood's hitters?
Elmwood took their victory against Northwood when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 10-0 score. Will the Royals repeat their success, or do the Rangers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
