The St. Joseph Lancers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Waterloo Pirates at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as St. Joseph comes in on 11 and Waterloo on four.
On Thursday, St. Joseph was able to grind out a solid win over Warren Township, taking the game 5-2.
Dylan Love looked comfortable as he pitched an inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
On the hitting side, Dominic Santarelli and Eric Kenesie did most of the damage at the plate: Santarelli scored a run and stole three bases while going 1-for-3, while Kenesie scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-4. Santarelli is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now stolen at least one in the last three games he's played.
Meanwhile, Waterloo beat Wisconsin Heights 4-1 on Wednesday.
Keegan Lauersdorf made a splash no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. Lauersdorf was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, Jon Sampo was excellent, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3. Caleb Bullock was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
St. Joseph is on a roll lately: they've won 12 of their last 14 games, which provided a nice bump to their 16-3 record this season. As for Waterloo, their victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-3.
Friday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. St. Joseph has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .471. However, it's not like Waterloo struggles in that department as they've averaged .470. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
St. Joseph took their win against Waterloo when the teams last played back in May of 2023 by a conclusive 16-5. Will St. Joseph repeat their success, or does Waterloo have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
