The Sultana Sultans will face off against the Loyola Cubs at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Sultana 3.5, Loyola 4.1) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Sultana is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-1 win over Royal. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Sultans have posted since April 10th.
Sultana saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Eric Ruiz, who went 1-for-4 with one home run.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Loyola ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They put the hurt on Sierra Canyon with a sharp 8-1 win. The victory was some much needed relief for the Cubs as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.
Robbie Peppell made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in 16 consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with one run and one double.
In other pitching news, Caden Chavez tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over 4.2 innings pitched. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Davis Bender, who went 1-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April. Jack Murray was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Sultana's win was their 12th straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 22-3-1. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Loyola, their win bumped their record up to 16-12.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Tuesday. Sultana hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.9 home runs per game. However, it's not like Loyola struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.5 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
