The St. Mary's Pirates will challenge the Woodland Park Panthers at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. St. Mary's has given up an average of 6.7 runs per game this season, but Saturday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
On Thursday, St. Mary's came up short against Kent Denver and fell 15-11. The loss continues a trend for the Pirates in their meetings with the Sun Devils: they've now lost three in a row.
Isaac Velazquez led a balanced group of hitters, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. Cole Eberhardt was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Woodland Park came tearing into last Wednesday's matchup with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11.8 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 6-5 W against the Hawks.
Link Bryden and Cody Becker made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Bryden pitched 4.1 innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. Meanwhile, Becker tossed 2.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off one hit. He has been consistent: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive appearances. At the plate, Bryden went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double, while Becker went a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact as six players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Cody Fries, who went 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Another was Landon Bain, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Woodland Park was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .448. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as SkyView Academy only posted a batting average of .214.
Woodland Park pushed their record up to 10-1 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for St. Mary's, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-6.
Both St. Mary's and Woodland Park just can't seem to miss. The Pirates have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.6 hits per game. However, it's not like Woodland Park struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 3.8 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
