The Loyd Star Hornets have the luxury of staying home for another game and will welcome the Columbia Wildcats at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Tuesday, Loyd Star never let their opponents score. They put the hurt on West Lincoln with a sharp 10-0 victory. That's two games straight that Loyd Star has won by exactly ten runs.
Nathan Mills was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (he also didn't allow any walks). Mills was also big at the plate, scoring a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Conner Cunningham was incredible, going 3-for-3 with six RBI, a stolen base, and a run. Another player making a difference was Caleb Smith, who scored three runs while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last match, Columbia made sure to put some runs up on the board against Florence on Tuesday. Columbia was the clear victor by a 12-2 margin over Florence.
Like Loyd Star, Columbia also got a great game from a two-way player: MT Breland. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over five innings pitched. Breland has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances. Breland was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Naji Cain, who went 2-for-4 with five RBI and a run. Mac McDaniel was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
Loyd Star pushed their record up to 19-5 with that win, which was their 12th straight at home. Those good results were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.6 runs per game. As for Columbia, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 14-9 record this season.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Loyd Star has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Columbia struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.7. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Loyd Star couldn't quite finish off Columbia when the teams last played back in February and fell 3-1. Will Loyd Star have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
