The Gateway Eagles will challenge the Ida Baker Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Gateway is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.1 runs per game this season.
Gateway's tournament run continued when they took on Mariner last Wednesday. The Eagles came up short against the Tritons, falling 14-3. The Eagles have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Jacob Hardman made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole two bases while going 3-for-3. Another player making a difference was Anthony Medina, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Ida Baker walked away with it. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Indians a 4-0 shutout on Tuesday.
Nick Conticelli tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out ten over 6.2 innings pitched. He is becoming a predictor of Ida Baker's success: when he allows at most one hit the team is 2-1 (and 10-12 when he doesn't).
On the hitting side, Ida Baker's victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Ely Mora, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Ida Baker hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They are 4-2 when they post two or more strikeouts.
Gateway's loss dropped their record down to 15-7. As for Ida Baker, their win bumped their record up to 12-13.
Gateway's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's match. The Eagles have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.7 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Ida Baker, though, as they've been averaging only 1.2 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Gateway continue to outrun the ball?
Gateway came out on top in a nail-biter against Ida Baker when the teams last played back in April of 2024, sneaking past 6-4. Do the Eagles have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bulldogs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
