The Eagle Mustangs will take on the Owyhee Storm at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Eagle sitting on five straight victories and Owyhee on four.
Eagle is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Idaho's top teams: Mountain View, who was ranked first at the time (Eagle was ranked fourth). The Mustangs came out on top against the Mavericks by a score of 5-1 on Thursday. Five seems to be a good number for the Mustangs as the team scooped up a win with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Stephen Egan spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on four hits.
At the plate, Eagle saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Sam Palfreyman, who went 1-for-2 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Owyhee got the win against Middleton on Thursday by a conclusive 16-1. Considering the Storm have won 14 contests by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Christian Zannitto made a big impact no matter where he played. He pitched five innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three RBI and one run. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Nathan Keith, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and one double. Those four hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Zander Jakovac, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and two RBI.
Owyhee always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .594. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Eagle's record is now 18-5. As for Owyhee, their record now sits at 21-5.
Saturday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Eagle has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .435. However, it's not like Owyhee struggles in that department as they've averaged .431. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Eagle might still be hurting after the 14-0 loss they got from Owyhee in their previous meeting two weeks ago. Can the Mustangs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
