The Lebanon Warriors will take on the Loveland Tigers at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Lebanon is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.1 runs per game this season.
While Lebanon didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-19), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They blew past West Clermont 10-2 on Wednesday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Warriors.
Lebanon got a great performance from Isaac Rose as he pitched five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits.
At the plate, Vincent Strickland was a standout: he went 3-for-5 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season. Another player making a difference was Bryce Bohman, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Lebanon always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as West Clermont only posted an OBP of .345.
Meanwhile, after a string of five wins, Loveland's good fortune finally ran out on Thursday. They fell just short of Archbishop Moeller by a score of 3-1. The contest marked the Tigers' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Loveland also got a good showing from Will Bertke, who pitched 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Bertke has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Loveland saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Dylan Hacker, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base.
Lebanon's victory bumped their record up to 8-2. As for Loveland, their loss dropped their record down to 8-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Lebanon has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Loveland struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Lebanon came out on top in a nail-biter against Loveland in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, sneaking past 2-0. Do the Warriors have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Tigers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
