Providence is a perfect 3-0 against Switzerland County since May of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Saturday. The Pioneers will square off against the Pacers at 11:00 a.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Providence is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They never let Paoli get on the board and left with a 7-0 victory. The win was nothing new for the Pioneers as they're now sitting on four straight.
Blake Straub
| 06/02/25 vs Paoli | 11 |
| 04/24/24 @ Silver Creek | 7 |
| 06/01/24 vs Southwestern | 6 |
| 05/04/24 @ Seymour | 5 |
| 04/11/24 vs Columbus East | 5 |
Blake Straub made a splash 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 11 over seven innings pitched. Those 11 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Cole Huett, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Gavin Jackson, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Providence always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .529. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .515 or higher in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Switzerland County hadn't done well against Austin recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Monday. The Pacers blew past the Eagles 19-1. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Pacers considering their one-run performance the match before.
Like Providence, Switzerland County also got a great game from a two-way player: Zayne Smith. On the mound, he struck out nine batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and only one walk). Switzerland County is 6-3 when Smith allows one or fewer earned runs, but 8-9 otherwise. Smith was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with three RBI.
In other batting news, Switzerland County got a massive performance out of Cooper Todd, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Todd is becoming a predictor of the Pacers' success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 11-12 when he doesn't). Roman Hite was another key player, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with three runs and three RBI.
The victory made it two in a row for Switzerland County and bumps their season record up to 14-12. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 1 runs in those games. As for Providence, their victory bumped their record up to 15-6.
Providence took their win against Switzerland County in their previous meeting back in May of 2018 by a conclusive 11-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Pioneers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
