The Jackson Day Mariners will square off against the Langtree Charter Academy Lions at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Jackson Day will be strutting in after a victory while Langtree Charter Academy will be coming in after a loss.
Having struggled with nine defeats in a row dating back to last season, Jackson Day turned things around against Sugar Creek Charter on Tuesday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Wildcats a 20-0 shutout. The Mariners' offense finally found a way to get into gear: the high-octane performance was a 180-degree turn from their last three games.
Vermaine Shelton and Caleb Burgin made a big impact while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Shelton pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Burgin pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Furthermore, Shelton didn't allow a single earned run, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in April of 2024. At bat, Shelton scored two runs and stole Five bases. while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances, while Burgin scored two runs and stole Three bases. while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. With that strong performance, Shelton is now averaging an impressive 1.5 stolen bases per game.
In other batting news, Dean Lister and Nick Rauch did most of the damage at the plate: Lister fired off two home runs, two stolen bases, and three runs while going 3-for-4, while Rauch scored four runs and stole Five bases. while going 4-for-4. That's the most runs Lister has posted since back in March of 2024. Devin Lee was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing Two bases. while going 1-for-2.
Jackson Day always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .737. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Langtree Charter Academy has relied on a stalwart pitchers averaging 2.33 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Tuesday. They came up short against Community School of Davidson, falling 11-3. The Lions have struggled against the Spartans recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive lost meetings.
Langtree Charter Academy saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Aiden Gelpke, who scored a run and stole Two bases. while going 1-for-3. Gelpke has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last five times he's played. William Tucker also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Having lost for the first time this season, Langtree Charter Academy fell to 8-1. As for Jackson Day, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Wednesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Jackson Day has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 8.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Langtree Charter Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
