The Lincoln Lancers will face off against the Englewood Pirates at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The timing is sure in Lincoln's favor as the squad sits on four straight wins at home while Englewood has been banged up by five consecutive losses on the road dating back to last season.
While Lincoln didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-13), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They walked away with a 14-10 victory over Manual on Friday. The Lancers haven't had any issues with the Thunderbolts recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Gio Castro made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over six innings while giving up five earned runs off six hits. Castro was even better at the plate, firing off four doubles, five RBI, and one run while going 4-for-5. Those four doubles gave him a new career-high.
Jose Bustos
| 04/11/25 @ Manual | 4 |
| 03/12/25 @ Arrupe Jesuit | 3 |
| 04/08/25 vs Denver West | 2 |
| 04/08/25 vs Denver West | 2 |
| 03/21/25 vs Overland | 2 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jose Bustos, who scored four runs while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Those four runs gave him a new career-high. Sam Trujillo was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-5.
Lincoln always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .535. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 12 runs the game before, Englewood was a bit more limited in their game on Thursday. They came up short against Arvada, falling 8-1.
Like Lincoln, Englewood also got a great game from a two-way player: Grant Pebbles. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over 5.2 innings while giving up three earned (and five unearned) runs off five hits. Pebbles has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Pebbles wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Rj Cullyford, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one double. Roman Diaz also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Englewood now has a losing record of 4-5. As for Lincoln, their victory bumped their record up to 7-2.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Lincoln has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Englewood struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
