Baseball Game Preview: Iroquois Braves vs. Northwestern Wildcats

Iroquois hasn't had much luck against Northwestern recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Braves will head out on the road to take on the Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. Northwestern took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Iroquois, who comes in off a win.

Iroquois was handed a 15-run loss in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Wednesday. They had just enough and edged out Union City 2-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Braves have posted since May 6, 2024.

Cole Bennett

Batters Struck Out

04/30/25 @ Union City	8
04/23/25 @ Youngsville	6
04/15/25 vs Union City	6

Cole Bennett spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on six hits and racked up eight Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Brian Rice was excellent, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases and one run. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Jayden Hadlock also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.

Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Northwestern faced off against Fairview on Wednesday. The Wildcats fell just short of the Tigers by a score of 2-1. The Wildcats have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Northwestern also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and he was also dialed-in: Joe Schaukowitsch gave up just two earned runs on seven hits.

At the plate, Northwestern saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jacob Rader, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one run.

Northwestern's defeat dropped their record down to 3-10. As for Iroquois, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-11.

Iroquois might still be hurting after the 10-0 loss they got from Northwestern in their previous meeting back in March. Can the Braves avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.