The Firestone Falcons will face off against the Ellet Orangemen at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. Firestone is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.1 runs per game this season.
Firestone's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. Everything went their way against Springfield as they made off with a 10-0 win. The victory continues a trend for the Falcons in their matchups with the Spartans: they've now won four in a row.
Jason Chestnut
Firestone got a great performance from Jason Chestnut as he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out six over six innings pitched. The Falcons are undefeated when Chestnut allows one or fewer earned runs, but 4-6 otherwise.
At the plate, Isaak Nespo was incredible, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with four runs and two stolen bases. He is becoming a predictor of Firestone's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 4-6 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Blake Harris, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one double.
Firestone always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .561. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Ellet was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 3-2 heartbreaker at the hands of Copley.
Ellet saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Cullen McKeel, who went 1-for-3 with one RBI.
Ellet's loss dropped their record down to 7-5. As for Firestone, they now have a winning record of 7-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Sunday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Firestone has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Ellet struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Firestone took their win against Ellet in their previous meeting on Monday by a conclusive 13-4 score. Do the Falcons have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Orangemen turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
