The LaBrae Vikings will square off against the Howland Tigers at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Neither LaBrae nor Howland posted many runs in their last games, so it might be the pitching crews that decide this one.
LaBrae took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They never let Newton Falls get on the board and left with a 1-0 win. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
The result came thanks to Austin Rowe's shutout, as he gave up just four hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up a single earned run in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Easton Armstrong was excellent, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one triple and one run. Those two hits gave him a new career-high.
Meanwhile, Howland suffered their closest defeat since April 16, 2024 on Thursday. They fell just short of Boardman by a score of 4-2. The Tigers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Howland saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brayden Kovarik, who went 2-for-4 with one run and one double. That double marked the first that Kovarik has hit this season.
LaBrae's victory was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-1. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.9 runs over those games. As for Howland, their loss dropped their record down to 3-6.
Howland's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. LaBrae has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Howland, though, as they've been averaging only 4 strikeouts. Will LaBrae keep running through batters, or will the Tigers buck the trend?
LaBrae couldn't quite get it done against Howland in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 as they fell 5-1. Will the Vikings have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
