The Alleman Pioneers will challenge the Monmouth-Roseville Titans at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The last four games Alleman has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Alleman took a 24-run loss the last time they faced off against Geneseo, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Pioneers came out on top in a nail-biter against the Maple Leafs on Monday, sneaking past 8-6. While the Pioneers didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-29), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Will Bowers was excellent, going 1-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI. That triple marked the first that he hit this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Cael Kuster, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Monmouth-Roseville). They blew past Orion 17-5 on Monday. The high-scoring effort was just what the Titans needed considering they were shut out in their previous matchup.
Landyn Angelo made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has become a key player for Monmouth-Roseville: the team is 2-1 when he allows at most two hits, but 3-5 otherwise. Angelo was also big at the plate, scoring three runs while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in RBI (three).
In other batting news, Nick Huston and Elliot Rogers did most of the damage at the plate: Huston scored three runs while going 3-for-5, while Rogers scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Huston is becoming a predictor of Monmouth-Roseville's success: when he posts at least three hits the team is 3-1 (and 2-5 when he doesn't). Keegan Smith was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one stolen base and two RBI.
Monmouth-Roseville always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .535. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Monmouth-Roseville's win was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 5-6. As for Alleman, their victory bumped their record up to 12-5.
Monmouth-Roseville's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Alleman hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .322. It's a different story for Monmouth-Roseville, though, as they've only averaged .250. Will they be able to contain Alleman's hitters? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
