St. Paul/Palmer is preparing for their first district matchup of the season on Thursday. They will face off against the Raymond Central Mustangs at 3:30 p.m. St. Paul/Palmer has given up an average of 6.9 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Adams Central hit St. Paul/Palmer with a five-run fifth inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Wildcats came up short against the Patriots, falling 16-5. The Wildcats haven't had much luck with the Patriots recently, as the team has come up short the last four times they've met.
Alex Meinecke made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. That home run marked the first that he has launched this season.
Meanwhile, it may have taken nine innings to finish the job, but Raymond Central ultimately got the result they hoped for on Monday. They came out on top against Aurora by a score of 12-9.
Brexton Geidner was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Raymond Central is 4-1 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 7-8 otherwise. Geidner was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, Raymond Central got a massive performance out of Tucker Matulka, who went 3-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Matulka has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times he's played. Zayden Frye was another key player, going 1-for-5 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Raymond Central kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 11 hits in four consecutive contests.
Raymond Central has been performing well recently as they've won eight of their last ten games. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-9 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games. As for St. Paul/Palmer, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-10.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. St. Paul/Palmer has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Raymond Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 5.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
