The Lutheran West Longhorns will head out on the road to face off against the Kirtland Hornets at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The pair have allowed few runs on average, (Lutheran West: 3.4, Kirtland: 4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Lutheran West stacked an eighth blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Brooklyn as Lutheran West made off with a 17-1 victory. The win was familiar territory for Lutheran West who now have four in a row.
Eric Dill made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Dill has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances. Dill was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Bryce Groppe and Adam Flachbart did most of the damage at the plate: Groppe went 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs, while Flachbart scored three runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-3. Flachbart has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last five times he's played. AJ Biascochea was another key contributor, scoring three runs while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Kirtland, who bounced back after a tough loss on the road on Tuesday. They skirted past Cuyahoga Heights 8-7.
Like Lutheran West, Kirtland also got a great game from a two-way player: Trip Thaler. He looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 11 over four innings pitched. Thaler was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three RBI and a stolen base.
In other batting news, Will Bates was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Lutheran West's victory was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-1. As for Kirtland, their record is now 10-1.
Lutheran West took their win against Kirtland in their previous meeting back in May of 2017 by a conclusive 22-2. Will Lutheran West repeat their success, or does Kirtland have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
