The McDonald Blue Devils will take on the Leetonia Bears in a tournament on Wednesday. McDonald's pitching crew has only allowed 2.6 runs per game this season, so Leetonia's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
McDonald came out on top against Springfield last Monday thanks in part to the team's impressive five-run seventh inning. The Blue Devils blew past the Tigers 8-2. Considering the Blue Devils have won 13 matchups by more than five runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last game, Leetonia made sure to put some runs up on the board against Chalker on Friday. The Bears had just enough and edged out the Wildcats 12-11. Considering the Bears' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Jason King was a major factor no matter where he played. He struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up three earned (and seven unearned) runs off ten hits. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double. He has become a key player for Leetonia: the team is 5-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 2-11 otherwise.
In other batting news, Leetonia let Jeremiah Falk and Chase Bondi run wild. Falk went 1-for-3 with four stolen bases, four RBI, and two runs, while Bondi went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. Those three RBI gave Bondi a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Gray Henderson, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
McDonald is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 16-5 record this season. As for Leetonia, their victory bumped their record up to 7-12.
McDonald got the 'W' when the teams last played back in May of 2022 against Leetonia by a conclusive 25-4 score. Do the Blue Devils have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bears turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
