The Lafayette Jefferson Bronchos will square off against the Lebanon Tigers at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Neither Lafayette Jefferson nor Lebanon posted many runs in their last games, so it might be the pitching crews that decide this one.
Lafayette Jefferson is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Cascade just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Monday. They fell 5-2 to the Cadets.
Lafayette Jefferson got a good showing from Marshall Evano, who pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Evano has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one hit any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Lafayette Jefferson saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ben Pickering, who went 1-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That triple was Pickering's first of the season.
Meanwhile, Lebanon suffered their closest defeat since May 17, 2024 on Wednesday. They fell just short of Western Boone by a score of 4-2. The Tigers haven't had much luck with the Stars recently, as the team has come up short the last five times they've met.
Elijah Gibboney was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he tossed six innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits.
Lafayette Jefferson's loss dropped their record down to 8-4. As for Lebanon, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-8.
Lebanon's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Lafayette Jefferson has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Lebanon, though, as they've been averaging only 3.9 strikeouts. Will Lafayette Jefferson keep running through batters, or will the Tigers buck the trend?
Lafayette Jefferson couldn't quite finish off Lebanon when the teams last played back in April of 2024 and fell 2-0. Can the Bronchos avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
