The Union County Patriots will venture away from home to square off against the Cambridge City Lincoln Golden Eagles at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Having struggled with seven losses in a row, Union County turned things around against Monroe Central on Monday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-2 victory over the Golden Bears.
Union County saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Coleton Wicker, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Cambridge City Lincoln). Everything went their way against Muncie Burris on Friday as they made off with a 22-3 win. The result was nothing new for the Golden Eagles, who have now won five matchups by seven runs or more so far this season.
Oliver Webb was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Cambridge City Lincoln is 2-1 when Webb allows one or fewer hits, but 4-5 otherwise. Webb was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Cambridge City Lincoln let Noah Patterson and Dustin Lunsford run wild. Patterson got on base in all six of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, five RBI, and three runs, while Lunsford went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, four RBI, and two runs. Those five RBI gave Patterson a new career-high. Jack Patton was another key player, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
Cambridge City Lincoln kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. They are 3-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
The victory got Cambridge City Lincoln back to even at 6-6. As for Union County, their record now sits at 4-10.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Union County has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Cambridge City Lincoln struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Union County's way against Cambridge City Lincoln in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, as Union County made off with an 11-1 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Patriots since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
