Alexandria-Monroe is on a four-game streak of home wins, while Blackford is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Alexandria-Monroe Tigers will take on the Blackford Bruins at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. The pair are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Alexandria-Monroe's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. Everything went their way against Tipton as Alexandria-Monroe made off with an 8-0 win.
Will Rowland made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Rowland was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a stolen base and an RBI.
In other pitching news, Alexandria-Monroe got a great performance from Adrian Smith as he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits over six innings pitched. Smith has been consistent recently: he hasn't pitched less than five innings in three consecutive pitching appearances.
Back at the plate, Kaed Abshire was a standout: he scored a run and stole four bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Collin Johns, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Blackford can now show off seven landslide victories after their most recent game on Saturday. They blew past Clinton Central 14-4. Blackford's hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Like Alexandria-Monroe, Blackford also got a great game from a two-way player: Ethan Morris. He didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. Morris was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in two of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Trey McIntire was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-2. Nick Ely was another key contributor, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Alexandria-Monroe's victory bumped their record up to 10-5. As for Blackford, their win bumped their record up to 10-4.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Alexandria-Monroe has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Blackford struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.7. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Alexandria-Monroe came out on top in a nail-biter against Blackford in their previous matchup back in May of 2023, sneaking past 3-2. Does Alexandria-Monroe have another victory up their sleeve, or will Blackford turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
