For the second straight game, Lincoln-Way Central will face off against Lincoln-Way West. The Knights will be playing at home against the Warriors at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.
Lincoln-Way Central is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Illinois' top teams: Lincoln-Way West, who was ranked ninth at the time (Lincoln-Way Central was ranked 16th). The Knights fell just short of the Warriors by a score of 4-3 on Wednesday.
For Lincoln-Way West's part, Conor Essenburg made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out nine batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. Essenburg has been consistent: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in eight consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
In other pitching news, Tyler Bartley looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances.
Essenburg wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Jackson Mansker, who went 1-for-2 with one RBI.
Lincoln-Way West is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last nine contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 21-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Lincoln-Way Central, their loss dropped their record down to 15-9.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
