The North Thurston Rams will take on the Bellarmine Prep Lions at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Bellarmine Prep will be up against a hot North Thurston team: the squad just extended their winning streak to seven. Everything went the Rams' way against Lakes on Wednesday as they made off with a 13-1 win.
Rudy Larson made a splash while hitting and pitching. He struck out nine batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run 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. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.
Zach Albright
| 04/23/25 @ Lakes | 3 |
| 04/02/25 vs Capital | 2 |
| 03/25/25 @ Capital | 2 |
| 04/22/25 vs Lakes | 1 |
| 04/16/25 vs River Ridge | 1 |
In other batting news, North Thurston got a massive performance out of Zach Albright, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Those three hits gave Albright a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Ethan Shaefer, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
North Thurston always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Lakes only posted an OBP of .158.
Meanwhile, Bellarmine Prep got themselves on the board against Lincoln on Wednesday, but Lincoln never followed suit. They blew past the Abes 10-0. With that victory, the Lions brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Bryson Miller looked comfortable as he pitched 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He is becoming a predictor of Bellarmine Prep's success: when he allows at most one hit the team is 4-2 (and 2-5 when he doesn't).
On the hitting side, Xavier Espindola was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one double. He has become a key player for Bellarmine Prep: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 2-7 otherwise. Spencer Truebenbach was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs.
North Thurston's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-5. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Bellarmine Prep, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 6-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. North Thurston has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bellarmine Prep struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
