Baseball Game Preview: Mona Shores Sailors vs. Byron Center Bulldogs

Sailors

Runs

04/22/25 vs Byron Center	1
04/17/25 vs Whitehall	10
04/17/25 vs Whitehall	10
04/16/25 vs Hastings	7
04/16/25 @ Hastings	15
+ 3 more games

For the second straight game, Mona Shores will face off against Byron Center. The Sailors are taking a road trip to take on the Bulldogs at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday. Mona Shores is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.5 runs per game this season.

Mona Shores is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to ten runs on Thursday, they were much more limited against Byron Center on Tuesday. They came up short against the Bulldogs, falling 8-1. The Sailors' defeat signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.

For Byron Center's part, Kellen Payne spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on two hits and racked up nine Ks. Payne has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Byron Center let Luke Laska and Keaton Van Kampen run wild. Laska got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases, three runs, and one double, while Van Kampen went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Those runs marked the first that Laska has scored this season.

The victory made it two in a row for Byron Center and bumps their season record up to 5-1. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.5 runs over those games. As for Mona Shores, their loss dropped their record down to 5-3.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Mona Shores has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Byron Center struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.