Loveland and Fossil Ridge are an even 4-4 against one another since April of 2015, but likely not for long. The Loveland Red Wolves will head out on the road to face off against the Fossil Ridge SaberCats at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Wednesday, Loveland narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Erie 6-5.
Connor Griess looked comfortable as he tossed an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Jackson Niederwerder, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3. Jess Smith was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Fossil Ridge came tearing into Wednesday's game with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.2 runs) and they left with even more momentum. Everything went their way against the Knights as they made off with a 6-0 win. The result was nothing new for Fossil Ridge, who have now won 12 matchups by six runs or more so far this season.
The result came thanks to Brek Benedict's shutout, as he gave up just four hits and racked up 13 Ks.
At the plate, Shane Crough and Luc Gaca-Thiele did most of the damage at the plate: Crough scored two runs and stole two bases, while Gaca-Thiele went 2-for-2 with two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Hayden Bradford, who got on base in two of his three plate appearances with a stolen base and an RBI.
Loveland's victory bumped their record up to 8-9. As for Fossil Ridge, their win was their 15th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 16-1.
Both the two teams just can't seem to miss. Loveland has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.9 hits per game. However, it's not like Fossil Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.9. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Loveland came out on top in a nail-biter against Fossil Ridge when the teams last played back in May of 2023, sneaking past 4-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for Loveland since the squad 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
