The Elk Lake Warriors will venture away from home to face off against the Forest City Foresters at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Elk Lake will be looking to extend their current seven-game winning streak.
Elk Lake had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 11-run drubbing they dealt Mountain View on Friday. The Warriors were the clear victors by a 13-2 margin over the Eagles. Considering the Warriors have won six games by more than nine runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Noah Gesford made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with five RBI, three runs, and three doubles. That's the most runs he has posted since back in May of 2024.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Logan Ayotte, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Cohen Orlandini was another key player, going a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base and two RBI.
Elk Lake always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .571. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Mountain View only posted an OBP of .273.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Forest City). Everything went their way against Blue Ridge on Wednesday as they made off with a 7-1 win. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Foresters as it put an end to their four-game losing streak.
Like Elk Lake, Forest City also got a great game from a two-way player: Tj Collins. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out ten over 5.1 innings pitched. Collins also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Forest City is 2-1 when he allows at most three earned runs, but 0-3 otherwise. Collins was also big at the plate, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with two RBI and one double. That double marked the first that he has hit this season.
In other batting news, Max Urbas was incredible, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and one stolen base. Johnny Conolgue also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Elk Lake pushed their record up to 8-1 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for Forest City, their win was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 2-4.
Forest City's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Elk Lake has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.7 hits per game. It's a different story for Forest City, though, as they've been averaging 10.2 hits. Given Elk Lake's sizable advantage in that area, the Foresters will need to find a way to close that gap.
Elk Lake took their victory against Forest City when the teams last played back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 11-5 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Warriors since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
