The Upper Sandusky Rams will head out to take on the Van Buren Black Knights at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Upper Sandusky's pitching crew has only allowed four runs per game this season, so Van Buren's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
The home team had won the previous four meetings between Upper Sandusky and Carey, and Carey kept the tradition alive. The Rams fell just short of the Blue Devils by a score of 2-1 on Monday. That's two games in a row now that the Rams have lost by just one run.
Meanwhile, Van Buren's hitters rose to the challenge against a Mustangs pitching crew that boasted an average of only 3.09 runs allowed on Thursday. The Black Knights came out on top in a nail-biter against Allen East, sneaking past 12-11. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Black Knights.
Caleb Mason made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and one double.
In other batting news, Van Buren got a massive performance out of Will Rampe, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. The Black Knights are 3-1 when Rampe posts two or more runs, but 3-4 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Finn Martin, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI.
Van Buren always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .588. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in four consecutive games.
Upper Sandusky now has a losing record of 3-4. As for Van Buren, they now have a winning record of 6-5.
Upper Sandusky might still be hurting after the 10-0 defeat they got from Van Buren in their previous matchup back in May of 2018. Can the Rams avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
