Baseball Game Preview: Mannford Pirates vs. Kiefer Trojans

The Mannford Pirates will challenge the Kiefer Trojans at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Mannford is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.6 runs per game this season.

If Mannford beats Kiefer with 14 runs on Thursday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two games with that exact score. Mannford put the hurt on Cleveland with a sharp 14-4 win on Tuesday. The victory continues a trend for the Pirates in their matchups with the Tigers: they've now won five in a row.

Cooper Ausbern

Batters Struck Out

03/11/25 vs Cleveland	4
03/07/25 vs Coweta	2
04/18/24 @ Bristow	1
03/22/24 vs Inola	2
03/15/24 vs Bristow	6

Cooper Ausbern made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched four innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March of 2024. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with four RBI and two doubles.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Gunnar Lovekamp, who scored four runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in runs. Rickey Morgan was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.

Mannford always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .562. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

Meanwhile, Kiefer came up short against Lincoln Christian on Tuesday, falling 14-8. The Trojans have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Landon Ruggieri made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 1-for-4.

Mannford's win bumped their record up to 2-3. As for Kiefer, their loss dropped their record down to 2-2.

Mannford couldn't quite get it done against Kiefer in their previous matchup two weeks ago as they fell 4-1. Will Mannford have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.