The New Lothrop Hornets will challenge the Owosso Trojans at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. New Lothrop has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the match with seven straight losses, while Owosso will come in with three straight wins.
On Tuesday, New Lothrop didn't have quite enough to beat Fulton and fell 10-8.
Nathan Kuchar made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went a perfect 3-for-3 with one run and one RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Connor Masterson, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
Meanwhile, Owosso earned an 8-4 victory over Ovid-Elsie on Tuesday.
Blake Binger tossed a big game, pitching five innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off five hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Eden Ackley, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Cyril Thompson, who went 3-for-4 with one triple and one run.
Owosso kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Owosso's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 21-10. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.7 runs over those games. As for New Lothrop, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-16.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Wednesday as neither team is afraid to steal. New Lothrop has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Owosso struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
New Lothrop couldn't quite finish off Owosso in their previous matchup back in May of 2016 and fell 2-0. Can the Hornets avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
