The Lincoln Fighting Zebras will face off against the East Union Lancers at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Lincoln sitting on eight straight victories and East Union on five.
Lincoln is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They blew past Rio Linda 11-1. Considering Lincoln has won nine matchups by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Kade Spomer was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits (and not a single walk). Spomer has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive pitching appearances. Spomer was also big at the plate, scoring three runs while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Kenny Winters was incredible, going 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Landyn Plaut, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, East Union made easy work of Christian Brothers on Tuesday and carried off an 8-1 win.
Like Lincoln, East Union also got a great game from a two-way player: Joe Alvarez. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out eight over seven innings pitched. Alvarez was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Blake Mount was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Peyton Heath was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
Lincoln pushed their record up to 21-6-1 with that victory, which was their 11th straight at home. As for East Union, their win bumped their record up to 17-10.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Lincoln has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like East Union struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.3. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Lincoln's way against East Union when the teams last played back in May of 2023 as Lincoln made off with an 11-1 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Lincoln since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
