The Lutheran Lions will head out on the road to challenge the Air Academy Kadets at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Lutheran is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.9 runs per game this season.
Things were looking good for Lutheran after they put the first points on the board on Thursday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They fell just short of Palmer Ridge by a score of 9-8. Lutheran has not had much luck with Palmer Ridge recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
Asher Clark was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he tossed six innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off three hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't pitched less than five innings in three consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Drew McNear made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with a home run, a stolen base, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Konner Nelson, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Even though they lost, Lutheran was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .406. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Palmer Ridge only posted a batting average of .185.
Meanwhile, it was a hard-fought matchup, but Air Academy had to settle for a 5-3 loss against Discovery Canyon on Thursday. Air Academy has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Air Academy saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Tyler Morales, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Lutheran's defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 11-7-1. As for Air Academy, their record is now 7-11.
Air Academy's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Lutheran hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .322. It's a different story for Air Academy, though, as they've only averaged .256. Will they be able to contain Lutheran's hitters?
Lutheran came out on top in a nail-biter against Air Academy in their previous meeting back in May of 2023, sneaking past 9-8. The rematch might be a little tougher for Lutheran since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
