The Crestline Bulldogs will take on the Mansfield Senior Tygers at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Crestline will be strutting in after a win while Mansfield Senior will be coming in after a loss.
Having struggled with ten defeats in a row, Crestline turned things around against Mansfield Christian on Friday. They were the clear victors by a 14-2 margin over the Flames. The Bulldogs not only won on Friday, but they posted their biggest win since April 25, 2024 (when they won 13-1).
Crew Gaskill made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out 12 batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits (and only one walk). Gaskill was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with two RBI and one run. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Crestline let Brayden Winemiller and Adam Burton run wild. Winemiller went 3-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double, while Burton went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That's the most runs Burton has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Kordaie Robinson, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
Crestline was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .429. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Mansfield Christian only posted a batting average of .200.
Meanwhile, Wednesday just wasn't the day for Mansfield Senior's offense. They lost 12-0 to New Philadelphia on Wednesday. The Tygers have struggled against the Quakers recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost meeting.
Mansfield Senior saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Guy Trader, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base.
Mansfield Senior's loss dropped their record down to 4-8. As for Crestline, their victory was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-4 and their overall record up to 2-10.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Crestline has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Mansfield Senior struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Crestline suffered a grim 20-0 defeat to Mansfield Senior when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Can the Bulldogs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
