vs
| 03/15/24 - Away | 10-4 W |
| 05/01/18 - Home | 16-0 W |
| 03/19/18 - Away | 18-0 W |
St. Maries has gone a perfect 3-0 against Kendrick recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Lumberjacks are taking a road trip to take on the Tigers at 4:30 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
St. Maries lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Priest River, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Thursday's contest. The Lumberjacks put the hurt on the Spartans with a sharp 14-6 victory on Thursday. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Lumberjacks as it put an end to their four-game losing streak.
Peyton Lingo made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Lingo was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Hunter Brown, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 4-for-4. Amado Stewert was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing three bases while going 2-for-3.
St. Maries always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .611. The last time their OBP was this high was back in March of 2024.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday Kendrick's undefeated season almost came to an end. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 9-7 victory over Prairie. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Tigers have posted since April 25, 2024.
Like St. Maries, Kendrick also got a great game from a two-way player: Xavier Carpenter. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over four innings pitched. Carpenter was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing four bases while going 3-for-3. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played.
In other batting news, Nate Kimberling was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. He also brought in an RBI, marking his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Hudson Kirkland, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and two RBI.
Kendrick pushed their record up to 5-0 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for St. Maries, their victory was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 2-5.
Thursday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. St. Maries has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .524. However, it's not like Kendrick struggles in that department as they've averaged .519. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went St. Maries' way against Kendrick in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, as St. Maries made off with a 10-4 win. Do the Lumberjacks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Tigers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
