The Booker Kiowas will square off against the Nazareth Swifts on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Booker is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They beat Shamrock by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 25-4. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Kiowas.
Chase Nelson made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 13 over five innings pitched. Nelson was also big at the plate, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with four runs, two stolen bases, and one RBI.
Marco Flores
| 04/29/25 vs Shamrock | 3 |
| 04/11/25 @ White Deer | 2 |
| 03/11/25 @ Sunray | 2 |
| 04/08/25 vs White Deer | 1 |
| 03/29/25 @ Follett | 1 |
In other batting news, Booker got a massive performance out of Marco Flores, who went 3-for-4 with four runs, two stolen bases, and three RBI. Those three hits gave Flores a new career-high. Julian Rosales was another key player, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with four stolen bases and four runs.
Meanwhile, Nazareth got themselves on the board against Borden County on Thursday, but Borden County never followed suit. They were the clear victors by a 14-0 margin over the Coyotes.
Like Booker, Nazareth also got a great game from a two-way player: Zane Schulte. On the mound, he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched. Schulte was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged two or more in each of the last three games he's played.
In other batting news, Cameron Pohlmeier was a standout: he went 2-for-4 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Another player making a difference was Rhett Ethridge, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI.
Nazareth was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .300 or higher in 11 consecutive games.
Nazareth is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 11 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-2 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Booker, their victory bumped their record up to 13-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Booker has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Nazareth struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Booker beat Nazareth 9-4 in their previous matchup back in May of 2017. Will the Kiowas repeat their success, or do the Swifts have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
