vs
| 04/25/25 - Home | 12-8 W |
| 05/02/24 - Away | 18-4 W |
| 04/24/24 - Home | 3-4 L |
| 05/27/23 - Home | 13-2 W |
| 05/18/23 - Away | 3-2 W |
| + 5 more games |
Kenai Central has gone 8-2 against Homer recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Kardinals will welcome the Mariners at 6:30 p.m. Kenai Central is coming into the game hot, having won their last five games.
Kenai Central is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Alaska's top teams: Palmer, who was ranked 16th at the time (Kenai Central was ranked fourth). The Kardinals walked away with a 7-3 victory over the Moose on Saturday.
Jacob Joanis was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Braden Smith, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Homer suffered their biggest loss since May 16, 2024 on Monday. They came up short against Soldotna, falling 17-7. The Mariners have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Clyde Clemens was cooking despite his team's loss, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Kenai Central pushed their record up to 5-1 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Homer, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-4.
Homer's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Kenai Central hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .316. It's a different story for Homer, though, as they've only averaged .207. Will they be able to contain Kenai Central's hitters?
Kenai Central beat Homer 12-8 when the teams last played last Friday. Do the Kardinals have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Mariners turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
