For the second straight game, Johnson will face off against Islands. The Atomsmashers will challenge the Sharks at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Johnson has struggled recently with ten defeats in a row, while Islands will arrive with three straight wins.
Johnson fell victim to Islands and their airtight pitching crew on Monday. They lost 23-0 to the Sharks. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
For Islands' part, Dylan Stewart made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Stewart also tossed a walk, which is notable because Islands is 2-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 2-12 otherwise. Stewart was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. That stolen base marked the first that he has snagged this season.
In other batting news, Mason McLaughlin was a standout: he went 2-for-3 with four stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Islands is 2-1 when McLaughlin posts two or more stolen bases, but 2-12 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Marlon Zaragoza, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double.
Islands kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 4.8 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 games they've averaged 10.8.
Islands' record is now 4-13. As for Johnson, their loss dropped their record down to 0-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Wednesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Johnson has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Islands struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
