The Kenai Central Kardinals are taking a road trip to challenge the Palmer Moose at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Kenai Central is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Alaska's top teams: Redington, who was ranked 13th at the time (Kenai Central was ranked fourth). The Kardinals put the hurt on the Huskies with a sharp 15-2 win on Friday. That 13 run margin sets a new team best for the Kardinals this season.
Palmer not only won on Thursday, but they posted their biggest win since May 30, 2024 (when they won 28-1). Their pitchers stepped up to hand Grace Christian a 22-0 shutout. With that victory, the Moose brought their scoring average up to 7.3 runs per game.
Timothy Bridgman made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over four innings pitched. He also tossed no walks, which is notable because Palmer is 3-1 when he allows at most two walks, but 0-3 otherwise. Bridgman was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. Those hits marked the first that he has got this season.
In other batting news, Palmer got a massive performance out of Mason Miller, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. Those three RBI gave Miller a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Zander Landon, who went 2-for-4 with five RBI, two runs, and one double.
Palmer always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .605. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
The win was the fourth in a row for Kenai Central, bringing their record up to 4-1. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for Palmer, their record is now 3-4.
Everything went Kenai Central's way against Palmer in their previous matchup back in June of 2024, as Kenai Central made off with a 12-5 win. Do the Kardinals have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Moose turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
