The Mineral Ridge Rams will head out on the road to square off against the McKinley Red Dragons at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Mineral Ridge will be hoping to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each contest than the last.
In what's become a running theme this season, Mineral Ridge gave their fans yet another huge victory on Tuesday. They blew past Western Reserve 11-5.
Xavier Klamer made a splash no matter where he played. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Klamer has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive pitching appearances. Klamer was even better at the plate, going 4-for-4 with two triples, three runs, and three RBI.
In other batting news, AJ Sandy was excellent, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Gino Novello was another key contributor, scoring two runs while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, McKinley came into Wednesday's matchup having lost three straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They were the clear victor by a 22-6 margin over Chaney on Wednesday. McKinley's hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Like Mineral Ridge, McKinley also got a great game from a two-way player: Tyler Williams. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Williams was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-5.
In other batting news, McKinley got a massive performance out of Brady Court, who scored four runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Kris Hrosar, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-4.
Mineral Ridge has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season. As for McKinley, their win ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 4-11.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Mineral Ridge has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.6 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like McKinley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.8. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Mineral Ridge was able to grind out a solid victory over McKinley when the teams last played back in April of 2023, winning 12-9. Will Mineral Ridge repeat their success, or does McKinley have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
