The Lumberton Raiders will face off against the Warren Warriors at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday. Lumberton will be coming into the contest with an undefeated record on the line.
Lumberton is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victor by a 12-3 margin over Onalaska on Tuesday. The Raiders might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four games by six runs or more this season.
Colton Harwell made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over four innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. Harwell was also big at the plate, scoring a run while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
In other pitching news, Luis Obregon looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
Back at the plate, Gavin Harmse was incredible, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Ryan Verde, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4.
Lumberton was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .448. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .364 or higher every time they've taken the field this season.
Meanwhile, Warren earned an 11-7 win over Evadale on Monday. The Warriors haven't had any issues with the Rebels recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Like Lumberton, Warren also got a great game from a two-way player: Parker Brocato. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 16 over six innings pitched. The dominant performance gave Brocato a new career-high in strikeouts. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kolbyn Bennett, who scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in April of 2024. Easton Evans was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Lumberton's win bumped their record up to 6-0. As for Warren, their victory bumped their record up to 4-1.
Thursday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Lumberton hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having got 0 of their hits per game. However, it's not like Warren struggles in that department as they've got 0 of their hits this season. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Lumberton was able to grind out a solid win over Warren when the teams last played back in March of 2024, winning 5-1. Will Lumberton repeat their success, or does Warren have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
