Baseball Game Preview: River Forest Ingots vs. Wheeler Bearcats

For the second straight game, River Forest will face off against Wheeler. The Ingots will challenge the Bearcats at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. River Forest is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8 runs per game this season.

River Forest barely beat Wheeler the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Ingots blew past the Bearcats 8-2 on Monday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

Brandon Fergerson was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He struck out seven batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits (and only one walk). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one triple and one run. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April of 2024.

Walter Jaime

Runs

04/15/25 vs Whiting	3
04/28/25 vs Wheeler	2
04/12/25 @ Gary West Side	2
04/14/25 @ Griffith	1
04/12/25 @ Gary West Side	1

In other batting news, Walter Jaime was a standout: he went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. He has become a key player for River Forest: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 5-6 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Sebastian Collazo IV, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double.

River Forest was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .429. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.

The victory snapped River Forest's losing streak at three games and leaves them with a 8-6 record. As for Wheeler, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 6-9.

Wheeler's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: River Forest has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .537. It's a different story for Wheeler, though, as they've only averaged .358. Will they be able to contain River Forest's hitters? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.