The Lincoln Lions will take on the Prospect Panthers at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Lincoln comes in on eight and Prospect on four.
Lincoln is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They put the hurt on San Jose with a sharp 25-1 win on Friday. The result was nothing new for the Lions, who have now won ten games by six runs or more so far this season.
Adriel Ceja looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up just one earned run but no hits (and only one walk).
At the plate, Lincoln got a massive performance out of Ryan Bernwanger, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. That's the most RBI Bernwanger has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Graeson Wagner, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with four runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
Lincoln was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .500. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .312 or higher in seven consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Prospect got the win against Del Mar on Thursday by a conclusive 17-4.
Ethan Roth was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed five innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits. Roth was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with three stolen bases, four runs, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kevin-Joseph Rieden, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. He has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last six times he's played. Caleb Entwisle also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Lincoln pushed their record up to 15-4 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Prospect, their record now sits at 10-5.
Tuesday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Lincoln hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .326. However, it's not like Prospect struggles in that department as they've averaged .317. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Lincoln's way against Prospect when the teams last played back in March of 2024, as Lincoln made off with an 11-1 victory. Will the Lions repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
