The Annandale Cardinals will square off against the Litchfield Dragons at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.
Annandale came into their game on Tuesday off a hard-fought close win, but unfortunately suffered a serious change of fortune. They lost 9-3 to Glencoe-Silver Lake.
Luke Lindquist was huge no matter where he played even without the win. He tossed five innings while giving up just two earned (and four unearned) runs off four hits. What's more, he gave up only two walks, the fewest he's had since back in April. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Lindquist wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Brandon Cooper, who went 2-for-4 with one run.
Meanwhile, Litchfield didn't have quite enough to beat Dassel-Cokato on Monday and fell 5-4. The defeat continues a trend for the Dragons in their meetings with the Chargers: they've now lost five in a row.
Jordan Abbott spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered five runs (all of which were unearned) on four hits and racked up eight Ks. Those eight strikeouts set a new season-high mark for him.
At the plate, Beau Schultz was cooking despite his team's loss, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. Another player making a difference was Gideon Boerema, who went 2-for-4 with one run and one double.
Annandale now has a losing record of 7-8. As for Litchfield, their loss dropped their record down to 4-13.
Annandale took their win against Litchfield when the teams last played back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 7-1 score. Will the Cardinals repeat their success, or do the Dragons have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
