Howards Grove has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will square off against the Brillion Lions at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Howards Grove will head into Thursday's match having proved themselves against Ozaukee: Howards Grove took a 15-point loss the last time they faced off against Ozaukee, but they managed to turn things around on Thursday. Howards Grove skirted past Ozaukee 6-4.
Parker Kluck was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off two hits. Kluck has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in five consecutive pitching appearances. Kluck was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Trey Sixel was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while going 1-for-3. Another player making a difference was Lucas Kaiser, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Brillion stacked a sixth blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Thursday. They blew past Valders 13-1. While fans of Brillion might be used to big wins, the 12-run margin marked the team's biggest one yet.
Like Howards Grove, Brillion also got a great game from a two-way player: Joe Shimek. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Shimek was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Austin Schwartz and Hayden Cousin did most of the damage at the plate: Schwartz scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4, while Cousin scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Howards Grove has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a massive bump to their 6-5-1 record this season. As for Brillion, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 8-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Howards Grove has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Brillion struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
