The Gardiner Tigers will head out on the road to challenge the Leavitt Hornets at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Gardiner is coming into the game on a six-game losing streak.
On Thursday, Gardiner didn't have quite enough to beat Lincoln Academy and fell 4-3. That's two games in a row now that the Tigers have lost by just one run.
Gardiner saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Dillon Farnham, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Leavitt's hitters rose to the challenge against a Panthers pitching crew that boasted an average of only 2.43 runs allowed on Wednesday. The Hornets walked away with an 11-6 victory over Medomak Valley.
Ryder Sawyer-Brown and Trent Holst made a splash no matter where they played. Throwing, Sawyer-Brown pitched two innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Meanwhile, Holst struck out 11 batters over five innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in May of 2024. At bat, Sawyer-Brown got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI, while Holst went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI. Leavitt is 3-1 when Sawyer-Brown posts two or more stolen bases, but 3-6 otherwise.
In other batting news, Landon Marquis was incredible, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. He is becoming a predictor of Leavitt's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 2-1 (and 4-6 when he doesn't). Tucker Harrington was another key player, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
Leavitt's record is now 6-7. As for Gardiner, their loss dropped their record down to 6-8.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Gardiner has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Leavitt struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Gardiner took their win against Leavitt in their previous meeting back in April by a conclusive 12-2 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Tigers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
