Minden (13-3) and Lakeside (8-12) have been on different paths thus far this season, but all roads are leading to Sibley tonight as the Crimson Tide take on the Warriors at 6 p.m.
After a tough start to the season, Lakeside has won four of their last five games and are finally hitting their stride.
They are led by CJ Watts and Michael Watts, both of whom are hitting over .400 this season. Nate Willis is hovering around there as well at .394, but Willis is a solid lead-off batter because he rarely strikes out.
The problem is that after those three, the Warriors struggle to get hits. Add that to the defensive struggles that have plagued the Warriors, and it’s not hard to tell why it’s been an up-and-down season.
But, besides the 4-0 loss to Doyline on Tuesday, Lakeside is finally playing up to the storied Sibley standard.
Minden has had one of the hottest starts in the area. They have an incredible six starters batting over .350, led by All-Parish MVP candidate Camron Dollar. The utility player is batting a jaw-dropping .558 with a 1.509 OPS.
The Tide are getting quality innings on the mound as well from John Volentine and Carson Fields. Volentine has a 1.04 ERA through 33 innings, and will probably get the start tonight at Lakeside as Fields pitched on Tuesday in the loss to Calvary.
This rivalry is like the Duke-North Carolina of area baseball in that it doesn’t matter where either team stands in the rankings. We are in for a great game tonight in Sibley.