Atkins is 0-3 against St. Joseph since April of 2019 but things could change on Tuesday. The Atkins Red Devils will host the St. Joseph Bulldogs at 5:00 p.m.
On Monday, Atkins came up short against Hackett and fell 5-2.
Atkins saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kade Bartlett, who went 1-for-4 with one stolen base.
Meanwhile, St. Joseph waltzed into their game on Monday with four straight wins... but they left with five. Everything went their way against the Panthers as they made off with a 12-2 win. The Bulldogs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five matchups by six runs or more this season.
George Heer was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Heer was even better at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing Two bases. while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, St. Joseph got a big performance out of Jake Rappold, who scored a run while going 1-for-3. The dominant performance also gave Rappold a new career-high in RBI (two). Another player making a difference was Owen Coney, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
St. Joseph always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .595. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Bigelow only posted an OBP of .211.
St. Joseph's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-1. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for Atkins, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-5.
Tuesday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Atkins hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .313. However, it's not like St. Joseph struggles in that department as they've averaged .447. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Atkins suffered a grim 16-1 defeat to St. Joseph in their previous matchup back in March of 2022. Will Atkins have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
