Crestview is 8-2 against Western Reserve since April of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Crestview Cougars will look to defend their home field against the Western Reserve Roughriders at 5:00 p.m. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Having struggled with three losses in a row, Crestview finally turned things around against Mapleton on Wednesday. Crestview walked away with a 9-4 win over Mapleton.
Jarek Ringler made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits. Ringler was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-5. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now stolen at least one in the last eight games he's played.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Gavin Barker, who scored two runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Dylan Bruner, who scored a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Western Reserve scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Wednesday. Everything went their way against New London as Western Reserve made off with a 15-3 victory. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded Western Reserve with their most commanding win of the season.
Like Crestview, Western Reserve also got a great game from a two-way player: Cooper Zunis. He struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits (and not a single walk). Zunis was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, Austin Harmeling was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Tyler Wood was another key contributor, going 2-for-2 with four RBI and two runs.
Crestview pushed their record up to 6-8 with that win, which was their third straight at home. As for Western Reserve, their victory ended an eight-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 3-13.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Crestview has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Western Reserve struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.2. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Crestview's way against Western Reserve in their previous meeting on April 3rd as Crestview made off with a 17-2 win. Does Crestview have another victory up their sleeve, or will Western Reserve turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
