The Malad Dragons will venture away from home to take on the Wendell Trojans at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Malad is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.9 runs per game this season.
Malad is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Bear River just ended the team's ten-game winning streak on Monday. They lost 12-0 to the Bears. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, the Dragons' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Meanwhile, Wendell posted their closest win since March 27th on Wednesday. They skirted past Declo 7-5. The victory continues a trend for the Trojans in their matchups with the Hornets: they've now won six in a row.
Deegan Prince and Julian Ponce were major factors no matter where they played. On the mound, Prince tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Meanwhile, Ponce tossed 4.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off two hits. Prince has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances. At bat, Prince went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI, while Ponce got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
In other batting news, Chip Houser and Santos Suarez did most of the damage at the plate: Houser went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run, while Suarez went 2-for-3 with four stolen bases and two runs. Houser has become a key player for Wendell: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least three hits, but 4-10-1 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Zayden Rogers, who went 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Wendell kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are 2-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Wendell's record now sits at 6-11-1. As for Malad, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Malad has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Wendell struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.1 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
