The Kirtland Hornets will be playing in front of their home fans against the Lutheran West Longhorns at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Kirtland will be looking to keep their seven-game home win streak alive.
Kirtland gave up the first runs on Thursday, but they didn't let that get them down. They won by a run and slipped past Cuyahoga Heights 8-7.
Trip Thaler made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 11 over four innings pitched. Thaler was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with three RBI and a stolen base.
In other batting news, Will Bates was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Lutheran West can now show off eight landslide victories after their most recent contest on Tuesday. They blew past Brooklyn 17-1. Winning may never get old, but Lutheran West sure is getting used to it with their fourth in a row.
Like Kirtland, Lutheran West also got a great game from a two-way player: Eric Dill. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Dill has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances. Dill was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Bryce Groppe and Adam Flachbart did most of the damage at the plate: Groppe went 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs, while Flachbart scored three runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-3. Flachbart is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now stolen at least one in the last five games he's played. Another player making a difference was AJ Biascochea, who scored three runs while going 2-for-4.
Kirtland's win bumped their record up to 10-1. As for Lutheran West, their victory bumped their record up to 8-1.
Kirtland suffered a grim 22-2 defeat to Lutheran West when the teams last played back in May of 2017. Will Kirtland have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
