The Talawanda Brave will square off against the La Salle Lancers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Talawanda is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.3 runs per game this season.
Talawanda is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 19 runs on Monday, they were much more limited against Edgewood on Tuesday. They lost 12-1 to the Cougars. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Brave have suffered since April 10th.
Talawanda saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Hunter Griffin, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask La Salle). Everything went their way against Holy Name on Wednesday as they made off with an 8-2 win. The Lancers not only won on Wednesday, but they posted their biggest win since May 2, 2024 (when they won 8-1).
Avier Carter looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one hit in six consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Isaac Goldschmidt was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Justin Lynch, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI.
La Salle is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games. That's provided a massive bump to their 6-4 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.2 runs on average over those games. As for Talawanda, their defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 4-1 and their overall record down to 9-9.
Talawanda's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's contest. The Brave have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.1 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for La Salle, though, as they've been averaging only 1.2 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Talawanda continue to outrun the ball?
Talawanda might still be hurting after the 8-1 loss they got from La Salle in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Will the Brave have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
