The LaBrae Vikings are taking a road trip to challenge the Maplewood Rockets at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. LaBrae is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.
LaBrae's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They walked away with a 3-0 win over Champion.
Austin Rowe
| 04/07/25 vs Garfield | 3 |
| 04/01/25 vs Champion | 5 |
| 04/04/25 @ Cardinal | 7 |
| 04/09/25 @ Champion | 10 |
The result came thanks to Austin Rowe's shutout, as he gave up just three hits and racked up ten Ks. Those ten strikeouts set a new season-high mark for him.
At the plate, Owen Boone was incredible, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Landon Brunstetter, who went 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Maplewood, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They blew past Harding 8-2 on Wednesday. The victory continues a trend for the Rockets in their matchups with the Skippers: they've now won three in a row.
Kenyan Clover made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Those eight strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last four games he's played.
In other pitching news, Kale Calvert looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Gabe Erwin, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-2. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high.
Maplewood's win was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-1. The team dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 6.8 runs. As for LaBrae, their record now sits at 4-0.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. LaBrae has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 11 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Maplewood struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
