The Bellarmine Prep Lions will venture away from home to square off against the North Thurston Rams at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Bellarmine Prep came out on top against Lincoln on Wednesday thanks in part to the team's impressive five-run second inning. The Lions' pitchers stepped up to hand the Abes a 10-0 shutout. 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 has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one hit in six consecutive appearances.
Xavier Espindola
| 04/23/25 vs Lincoln | 2 |
| 04/22/25 @ Lincoln | 2 |
| 03/28/25 @ River Ridge | 2 |
| 03/19/25 vs Lakes | 2 |
| 04/09/25 vs Mount Tahoma | 1 |
| + 1 more games |
At the plate, Xavier Espindola was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one double. He is becoming a predictor of Bellarmine Prep's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 2-7 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Spencer Truebenbach, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs.
Bellarmine Prep always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .515. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Lincoln only posted an OBP of .364.
Meanwhile, North Thurston had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6 runs) and they went ahead and made it seven on Wednesday. Everything went their way against the Lancers as they made off with a 13-1 win.
Rudy Larson was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He struck out nine batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. Larson was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.
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 RBI gave Albright a new career-high. David Perez also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
North Thurston's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-5. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for Bellarmine Prep, the victory 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. Bellarmine Prep has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like North Thurston struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 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 back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
