Alto is 0-4 against Lovelady since May of 2016 but things could change on Thursday. The Alto Yellowjackets will square off against the Lovelady Lions at 8:00 a.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Alto is headed out in good spirits considering the team just ended their winless streak on the road against New Summerfield on Wednesday. Alto never let New Summerfield get on the board and left with a 26-0 victory. The Yellowjackets' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Gaige Glover made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Glover was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Alto got a massive performance out of Aj Buckingham, who scored three runs and stole Two bases. while going 2-for-3. Jaylen Finley was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one home run and three runs.
Alto always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .771. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as New Summerfield only posted an OBP of .273.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Lovelady took on Big Sandy on Tuesday. Everything went Lovelady's way against Big Sandy as Lovelady made off with a 15-3 win. With that victory, the Lions brought their scoring average up to 7 runs per game.
Brady Mikes and Brady McCullough made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Mikes struck out ten batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. Meanwhile, McCullough pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, he gave up only zero walks, the fewest he's had since back in March of 2024. At bat, Mikes went 3-for-5 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI, while McCullough went 2-for-5 with two runs, one triple, and one double. That's the most hits Mikes has posted since back in February of 2024.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Tyler Gilchrist, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with four RBI, one triple, and one double. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in hits. Another player making a difference was Lance Pierce, who went 2-for-5 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run.
The win made it two in a row for Lovelady and bumps their season record up to 5-3. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.5 runs over those games. As for Alto, they picked up their first road victory, bumping their record up to 2-5.
