vs
| 04/01/25 - Home | 15-5 W |
| 04/02/24 - Away | 9-4 W |
| 04/02/24 - Away | 10-0 W |
| 04/04/23 - Home | 13-3 W |
| 04/04/23 - Home | 13-3 W |
| + 5 more games |
Olathe is 8-2 against Grand Valley since April of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Tuesday. The Pirates are taking a road trip to challenge the Cardinals at 2:00 p.m. Olathe has given up an average of 8.6 runs per game this season, but Tuesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Basalt hit Olathe with a 13-run first inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Pirates lost 18-3 to the Longhorns. The Pirates haven't had much luck with the Longhorns recently, as the team has come up short the last four times they've met.
Olathe saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Luke Robertson, who went 1-for-2 with one run and one double. Adrian Luna was another, getting on base in both of his plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, Grand Valley hadn't done well against Non Varsity Opponent recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. The Cardinals were the clear victors by a 14-2 margin over Non Varsity Opponent. 14 seems to be a good number for the Cardinals as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Zalas Richards made a splash no matter where he played. He pitched five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off seven hits. What's more, he posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Grand Valley is undefeated when Richards posts two or more runs, but 3-12 otherwise.
In other batting news, Grand Valley let Andrew Palcer and Tyler Palcer run wild. Andrew went 2-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and two RBI, while Tyler went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Waylon Panter also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Grand Valley always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .621. They are 5-2 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
The win made it two in a row for Grand Valley and bumps their season record up to 6-12. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 5 runs in those games. As for Olathe, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-9.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Olathe has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Grand Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.1 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Olathe's way against Grand Valley in their previous matchup on April 1st, as Olathe made off with a 15-5 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Pirates since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
