The St. Francis Gladiators will face off against the McBain Ramblers at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as St. Francis comes in on five and McBain on four.
On Tuesday, St. Francis made easy work of St. Mary and carried off a 12-4 win. The result was nothing new for the Gladiators, who have now won six contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Braxton Lesinski made a big impact no matter where he played. He tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. What's more, he posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in May of 2024. He was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI and two runs.
Matthew Kane
| 04/29/25 vs St. Mary | 1 |
| 04/26/25 @ Big Rapids | 1 |
| 04/26/25 @ Big Rapids | 2 |
Lesinski wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Matthew Kane, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base and one run. Kane is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games he's played.
Meanwhile, McBain earned a 7-2 victory over Manton on Tuesday.
The team relied heavily on Clayton Heuker, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. Kasen Pollington was another key player, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
St. Francis pushed their record up to 10-2 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.6 runs over those games. As for McBain, their win bumped their record up to 4-0-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. St. Francis has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like McBain struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went St. Francis' way against McBain in their previous matchup back in April of 2018, as St. Francis made off with a 10-0 victory. Do the Gladiators have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Ramblers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
