The Garden City Cougars will take on the Trenton Trojans at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Garden City 1.7, Trenton 2.2) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Trenton will be up against a hot Garden City team: the squad just extended their winning streak to five. The Cougars' pitcher stepped up to hand Seaholm a 12-0 shutout on Wednesday. The result was nothing new for the Cougars, who have now won 14 matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Ethan Armstrong made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one RBI.
In other batting news, Garden City got a big performance out of Brandon Lewandowski, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. That's the most RBI Lewandowski has posted since back in April. Andre Davis was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.
Garden City always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .559. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Seaholm only posted an OBP of .118.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Trenton, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. They walked away with a 7-2 win over Roosevelt on Thursday. The victory continues a trend for the Trojans in their matchups with the Bears: they've now won four in a row.
Talon Vanhovel spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on four hits and racked up eight Ks.
On the hitting side, Carson Boike was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one double.
Trenton's win was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 21-5. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for Garden City, their win bumped their record up to 21-6.
Saturday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Garden City has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .438. However, it's not like Trenton struggles in that department as they've averaged .433. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Garden City couldn't quite get it done against Trenton in their previous meeting back in May of 2019 as they fell 6-2. Will the Cougars have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
