The Bucklin Red Aces will take on the Ellis Railroaders at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Bucklin will be looking to extend their current five-game winning streak.
On Thursday, Bucklin was able to grind out a solid win over Stanton County, taking the game 5-1. That's two games straight that the Red Aces have won by exactly four runs.
Lucas Kirk spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on six hits and racked up ten Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, JT Prusa was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Kolson Cook also deserves some recognition as he launched his first home run of the season.
Ellis came out on top against Plainville on Friday thanks in part to the team's impressive 12-run third inning. The Railroaders were the clear victors by a 16-1 margin over the Cardinals. Considering the Railroaders have won 11 games by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Ben Byers was a standout: he went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and one run. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Aiden Aschenbrenner, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
Ellis was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .611. They are 14-2 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Bucklin pushed their record up to 12-4 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Ellis, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 16-8 record this season.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Bucklin has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Ellis struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.1 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Bucklin suffered a grim 14-3 defeat to Ellis in their previous matchup back in May of 2023. Can the Red Aces avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
