The Heritage Eagles will head out on the road to square off against the Fossil Ridge SaberCats at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Heritage has struggled recently with four losses in a row, while Fossil Ridge will arrive with 11 straight wins.
Last Wednesday, Heritage came up short against Douglas County and fell 9-5.
Heritage got a good showing from Neil Kline, who pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Kline has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Mason VanWyk and Jaxon Case did some serious damage despite the final result: VanWyk scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances, while Case went 1-for-4 with a triple, two RBI, and a run. Grant Bazinet was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, Fossil Ridge put the finishing touches on their 14th blowout victory of the season on Thursday. They put the hurt on Mountain Range with a sharp 20-1 victory. While fans of Fossil Ridge might be used to big wins, the 19-run margin marked the team's biggest one yet.
Luc Gaca-Thiele made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched three innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Gaca-Thiele was even better at the plate, scoring four runs while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances.
In other pitching news, Braeden Fritz looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Back at the plate, Jensen Planansky was a standout: he scored four runs and stole two bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Hayden Hixon, who scored three runs while going 4-for-5.
Heritage's defeat dropped their record down to 11-11. As for Fossil Ridge, their win was their seventh straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 20-1.
Saturday's game will be a test for both team's pitchers. Heritage hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .315. However, it's not like Fossil Ridge struggles in that department as they've averaged .388. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Heritage was able to grind out a solid victory over Fossil Ridge when the teams last played back in March of 2023, winning 6-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for Heritage since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
