Lincolnton has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will take on the Bunker Hill Bears at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Lincolnton hasn't scored more than two runs for four games straight, a trend the team is eager to reverse.
Last Tuesday, Lincolnton suffered a rough 8-2 loss at the hands of West Lincoln.
Karson Cloninger was huge no matter where he played even without the win. He struck out eight batters over six innings while giving up three earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits. Cloninger has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances. Cloninger was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing three bases while going 1-for-2.
Cloninger wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Nathan Hovis, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Bunker Hill fell victim to Newton-Conover and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They fell just short of the Red Devils by a score of 2-0. Bunker Hill has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Lincolnton's defeat dropped their record down to 2-9. As for Bunker Hill, their loss dropped their record down to 2-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Lincolnton has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bunker Hill struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Lincolnton suffered a grim 6-0 defeat to Bunker Hill in their previous matchup on March 5th. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Bunker Hill's Ross Fickling, who didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 12 over six innings pitched. Now that Lincolnton knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
