The Belvidere Bucs will head out on the road to square off against the Sycamore Spartans at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Belvidere has given up an average of 12.9 runs per game this season, but Wednesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Last Friday, Belvidere didn't have quite enough to beat Rochelle and fell 11-10. The Bucs haven't had much luck with the Hubs recently, as the team has come up short the last four times they've met.
Paul Stark made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Frankie Freeman, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-5.
Meanwhile, Sycamore started off well but failed to capitalize on an early lead against Harlem. They fell just short of the Huskies by a score of 5-3 on Tuesday.
Sycamore also got a good showing from Devin Shaulis, who didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over four innings pitched. Shaulis is becoming a predictor of the Spartans' success: when he allows at most three hits the team is 2-1 (and 1-3 when he doesn't).
At the plate, Sycamore saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jackson Macdonald, who went 2-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run. Trenton Meisch also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
Sycamore now has a losing record of 3-4. As for Belvidere, their loss dropped their record down to 1-6.
Belvidere's speedy runners might be the difference in Wednesday's game. The Bucs have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.7 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Sycamore, though, as they've been averaging only 1.3 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Belvidere continue to outrun the ball?
Belvidere suffered a grim 11-0 defeat to Sycamore when the teams last played back in May of 2023. Can the Bucs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
