North Pole has enjoyed a six-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on the Monroe Catholic Rams at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
North Pole can now show off five landslide victories after their most recent contest on Saturday. They blew past Delta 9-3.
North Pole let Ryan Martinez and Pavel Kostov loose on the outfield. Martinez scored two runs and stole three bases while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances, while Kostov went 2-for-3 with two runs, a triple, and a stolen base. Martinez has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last five times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Landon Ritter, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Monroe Catholic scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Saturday. They put the hurt on Delta with a sharp 16-5 win. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded Monroe Catholic with their most commanding win of the season.
Brian Bast was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over three innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off one hit. Bast was even better at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, Gage Goble and Daniel Bergstrom did most of the damage at the plate: Goble scored two runs and stole three bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances, while Bergstrom scored three runs and stole four bases while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Landon MacNaughton, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
The victory got North Pole back to even at 5-5-2. As for Monroe Catholic, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 5-1-1 record this season.
Wednesday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. North Pole has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .447. However, it's not like Monroe Catholic struggles in that department as they've averaged .482. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
