Manti is 2-8 against Juab since April of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Manti Templars will be playing at home against the Juab Wasps at 3:00 p.m. Manti is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.4 runs per game this season.
Manti's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Saturday. They were the clear victor by a 19-0 margin over Duchesne. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Templars considering their one-run performance the contest before.
Lane Cox
Lane Cox made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He also tossed no walks, which is notable because Manti is 2-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 1-4 otherwise. Cox was also big at the plate, scoring three runs while going 2-for-3. What's more, he posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Adam Andreasen, who scored two runs while going 1-for-2. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in RBI (two). Another player making a difference was Mason Cherry, who scored three runs while going 1-for-3.
Manti was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .500. They are 2-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Juab was not able to break out of their rough patch last Saturday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 3-2 heartbreaker at the hands of Crimson Cliffs.
Corbin Buchanan was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single hit and allowed only one earned run while striking out seven over 5.1 innings pitched.
On the hitting side, Juab saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Austin Park, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Juab now has a losing record of 2-3. As for Manti, their victory bumped their record up to 3-5.
Juab's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Manti hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .325. It's a different story for Juab, though, as they've only averaged .231. Will they be able to contain Manti's hitters?
Manti might still be hurting after the 15-8 loss they got from Juab in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can Manti avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
