The Eaglecrest Raptors will head out to take on the Castle View Sabercats at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Eaglecrest was handed a 12-run loss in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Tuesday. They won by a run and slipped past Northfield 6-5. The victory was some much needed relief for the Raptors as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.
Blake Anderson
| 05/13/25 vs Northfield | 1 |
| 04/12/25 @ Smoky Hill | 1 |
| 03/13/25 vs Chatfield | 1 |
The team relied heavily on Blake Anderson, who went 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. He has become a key player for Eaglecrest: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least one home run, but 9-11 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Jaxin Mallory, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one run and one double.
Castle View let Legend stack six runs on them in the sixth inning on Friday but luckily Castle View prevailed anyway. The Sabercats had just enough and edged out the Titans 9-8.
Keyan Lundvall was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March.
In other pitching news, Gabriel Grandy looked comfortable as he tossed four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits.
Back at the plate, Castle View got a massive performance out of Derek Gordon, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Aidric Zohlen also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Castle View is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-6 record this season. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of 1.33 runs across that stretch. As for Eaglecrest, their record is now 11-12.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Saturday. Eaglecrest hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like Castle View struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 1 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Eaglecrest couldn't quite get it done against Castle View in their previous meeting back in March of 2019 as they fell 5-0. Can the Raptors avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
