The Decatur Bulldogs will head out on the road to face off against the Lakeside Vikings at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
If Decatur beats Lakeside with 13 runs on Monday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two matchups with that exact score. Everything went the Bulldogs' way against Arabia Mountain last Thursday as they made off with a 13-4 win. The victory was familiar territory for the Bulldogs, who have now won seven games in a row.
The home team had won the previous four meetings between Lakeside and Tucker, and Lakeside kept the tradition alive. The Vikings' pitchers stepped up to hand the Tigers a 10-0 shutout on Saturday. The Vikings have beaten the Tigers the last three times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Tigers has come to flipping the script.
Micah Von and Jorge Montano made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Von pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Montano tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. What's more, Von posted two strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March. At bat, Von scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-2, while Montano scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
In other pitching news, Jason Ludnai looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than one hit in 12 consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Grant Jackson, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. He is becoming a predictor of Lakeside's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 7-8-1 when he doesn't). Matthew Russell was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-2.
Lakeside was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .462. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Tucker only posted a batting average of .167.
Decatur pushed their record up to 12-13 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.8 runs over those games. As for Lakeside, their record now sits at 15-8-1.
Decatur beat Lakeside 5-2 in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. Do the Bulldogs have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Vikings turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
