Game Preview - 5/16 @ Plum City and 5/17 @ Prescott

The St. Croix River Bandits (0-3, 0-0) start the regular conference season this weekend with 2 conference games, Saturday vs. Plum City (3-0, 2-0) and Sunday versus Prescott (2-0, 2-0). The Bandits hope to rebound after a tough non-conference schedule to start off the season. Saturday's game at Plum City will see the Bandit's Adam Lewis start on the mound for the first time this season. Lewis was a consistent hurler for the Bandits last season finishing 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA over 30 innings. Plum City is coming off of conference wins against new SCVBL member Hager City and pulled through against Elmwood in a 4-3 game last Saturday. The Bandits can expect to see Blues ace Tony Garner, who struck out 14 Bandits in their last meeting in May of 2008. The Blues won that game 6-2, scoring 4 runs in the top of the 8th inning. The Bandits expect to be at full force this game with all of the starters and most of the roster available.

The Bandits 2nd game of the weekend comes against the South Division's powerhouse Prescott Pirates, who went 22-8 in 2008 including 11-3 in the SCVBL. However, one of those losses came at the hands of Jay Gagner and the Bandits, in what was St. Croix's first game that season. Gagner pitched a complete game 1-hit shutout, striking out 8 and walking 0 in what was one of his more dominant outings of the season. Gagner will attempt that feat again, as he will take the mound against the Pirates on Sunday. I'm sure that the Pirates recall the loss and will be looking to exact revenge at their home field.