Baseball Game Preview: Lincoln-Way West Warriors vs. Lincoln-Way East Griffins

Lincoln-Way West is on a five-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Lincoln-Way East is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Warriors will welcome the Griffins at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Lincoln-Way West 2.7, Lincoln-Way East 2.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.

Lincoln-Way West is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Stagg an 18-0 shutout on Monday. The result was nothing new for the Warriors, who have now won six matches by nine runs or more so far this season.

Jackson Mansker

Hits (Career)

04/07/25 vs Stagg	3
04/02/25 vs Troy	2
03/27/25 @ Thornton Fractional South	2
04/02/25 vs Coffee	1
04/01/25 vs Troy	1

Jackson Mansker was incredible, scoring three runs while going 3-for-3. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Tyler Bartley, who went 2-for-3 with four RBI and one run.

Lincoln-Way West was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .458. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .300 or higher every time they've taken the field this season.

Meanwhile, Lincoln-Way East faced Andrew in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Thursday. The Griffins sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-2 victory over the Thunderbolts. The win continues a trend for the Griffins in their matchups with the Thunderbolts: they've now won eight in a row.

Lincoln-Way West's victory bumped their record up to 9-0. As for Lincoln-Way East, their win bumped their record up to 9-1.

Lincoln-Way West took their victory against Lincoln-Way East in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 7-1 score. Will the Warriors repeat their success, or do the Griffins have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.