The Central Rockets will venture away from home to face off against the Coal City Coalers at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Central's pitching crew has only allowed 3.4 runs per game this season, so Coal City's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
While Central's win against Jacobs wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Rockets had just enough and edged out the Golden Eagles 7-5. The Rockets haven't had any issues with the Golden Eagles recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Shane Lamberti looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Liam Schultz was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Another player making a difference was Thomas Koertgen, who went 2-for-3 with two runs.
Coal City not only won on Wednesday, but they posted their biggest win since April 9th (when they won 12-2). They were the clear victors by a 15-5 margin over Seneca. Considering the Coalers have won eight contests by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
A.J. Wills was a major factor no matter where he played. He pitched six innings while giving up four earned runs off six hits. Wills was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-5 with three RBI and one double. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Gavin Berger, who went 2-for-5 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. Gabe McHugh was another key player, going 3-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
With the win, Coal City broke their three-game losing streak and moved their record to 16-7. As for Central, their record is now 12-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Central has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Coal City struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
