Baseball Game Preview: Iroquois West Raiders vs. Salt Fork Storm

Iroquois West is 0-4 against Salt Fork since June of 2021 but things could change on Monday. The Raiders will host the Storm at 4:30 p.m. Iroquois West is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.3 runs per game this season.

Iroquois West took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Saturday. They came out on top against Grant Park by a score of 10-7. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Raiders as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.

Julian Melgoza made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over 5.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April of 2024. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with two runs and one RBI. He has become a key player for Iroquois West: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 7-12 otherwise.

Caleb Fauser

Stolen Base (Career)

05/10/25 vs Grant Park	4
04/21/25 vs Westville	1
04/18/25 @ Hoopeston	1
03/28/25 vs Clifton Central	1
03/26/25 vs Blue Ridge	1

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Caleb Fauser, who went 2-for-3 with four stolen bases and three runs. Those four stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Wyatt Breen was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two RBI and one run.

Iroquois West always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .556. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

Meanwhile, Salt Fork waltzed into their contest on Friday with three straight wins... but they left with four. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Blue Devils a 1-0 shutout. That's two games straight that the Storm have won by just one run.

Salt Fork's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 16-7. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Iroquois West, their win bumped their record up to 10-12.

Iroquois West couldn't quite get it done against Salt Fork when the teams last played back in May of 2024 as they fell 9-6. Will the Raiders have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.