The St. Mary's Lancers will challenge the Nichols Vikings at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.
St. Mary's made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Orchard Park, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Lancers fell just short of the Quakers by a score of 5-3 on Thursday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Lancers have suffered since April 23rd.
Luke Higgins was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he pitched five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. That's the fewest earned runs he has allowed since back in April.
At the plate, St. Mary's saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Willaim Szablewski, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. Another was Logan Gray, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, Nichols had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 3.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it five on Thursday. They came out on top against the Flyers by a score of 5-1. That's two games straight that the Vikings have won by exactly four runs.
The team relied heavily on Trenton Ruffolo, who went 2-for-3 with four stolen bases and one run. Those four stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Derek McIntyre was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base and one run.
Nichols pushed their record up to 12-4 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.2 runs over those games. As for St. Mary's, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 6-10 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. St. Mary's has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Nichols struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
St. Mary's couldn't quite get it done against Nichols in their previous meeting on Tuesday as they fell 8-4. Will the Lancers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
