The Vincennes Rivet Patriots will take on the Orleans Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Vincennes Rivet is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Bedford North Lawrence just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Saturday. They fell just short of the Stars by a score of 7-6.
Jayden Thacker put in work while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run.
In other batting news, Brody (Bo) Shots was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, it can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Orleans had no problem doing just that on Wednesday. They never let the Jug Rox get on the board and left with a 12-0 victory. The Bulldogs haven't had any issues with the Jug Rox recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Like Vincennes Rivet, Orleans also got a great game from a two-way player: Owen Gilbert. On the mound, Gilbert pitched 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Kaden Berning struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). The dominant performance also gave Gilbert a new career-high in strikeouts (three). At the plate, Gilbert went 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base, while Berning went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Gilbert is becoming a predictor of Orleans' success: when he posts at least three RBI the team is 2-1 (and 5-17 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, Orleans let Troy Dille and Dane Freed run wild. Dille went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, two RBI, and one run, while Freed got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That's the most stolen bases Dille has posted since back in April. Connor Fitzenrider was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Vincennes Rivet's loss dropped their record down to 15-6. As for Orleans, their victory bumped their record up to 7-18.
