It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Needles had no problem doing just that on Friday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Lake Mead Academy Eagles a 10-0 shutout. Needles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won 23 contests by six runs or more this season.
Collin Smith was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Smith has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances. Smith was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Hudson Smith was excellent, going 3-for-4 with three RBI and a double. Gabe Rodriquez was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
Needles is on a roll lately: they've won 13 of their last 14 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 27-8 record this season. As for Lake Mead Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 21-4.
Needles will be staying on the road on Saturday to face off against Lake Mead Academy. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Lake Mead Academy: 2.8, Needles: 2.3) so any runs scored will be well earned. As for Lake Mead Academy, they will face off against West Wendover at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Lake Mead Academy is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 12.9 runs per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
