The Maplewood Rockets will challenge the LaBrae Vikings at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Maplewood 3, LaBrae 2) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Maplewood took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Harding with a sharp 8-2 win. Considering the Rockets have won three matches by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Kenyan Clover made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Those eight strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last four games he's played.
In other pitching news, Kale Calvert looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
Gabe Erwin
| 04/09/25 vs Harding | 2 |
| 04/04/25 vs Badger | 1 |
| 05/13/24 vs St. John | 1 |
| 04/26/24 vs Windham | 1 |
| 04/24/24 vs Lordstown | 1 |
Back at the plate, Gabe Erwin was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-2. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high.
Meanwhile, LaBrae put another one in the bag on Wednesday to keep their perfect season alive. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Champion a 3-0 shutout.
Not much got past Austin Rowe, who gave up just three hits and racked up ten Ks to keep Champion off the board. Those ten strikeouts set a new season-high mark for Rowe.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Owen Boone, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Landon Brunstetter, who went 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
Maplewood pushed their record up to 4-1 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for LaBrae, their victory bumped their record up to 4-0.
Both Maplewood and LaBrae just can't seem to miss. The Rockets have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.8 hits per game. However, it's not like LaBrae struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 3 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
