The Mishawaka Cavemen will face off against the Northridge Raiders at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Mishawaka is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.4 runs per game this season.
Mishawaka is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering NorthWood just ended the team's six-game winning streak on Wednesday. They fell just short of the Panthers by a score of 3-2. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Landon Johns was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out six batters over 6.2 innings while giving up three earned runs off four hits.
Izaiah Bute
| 04/30/25 @ NorthWood | 1 |
| 04/28/25 vs Concord | 2 |
| 04/25/25 @ Goshen | 1 |
| 04/23/25 @ Wawasee | 1 |
| 04/21/25 @ Plymouth | 1 |
At the plate, Mishawaka saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Izaiah Bute, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run. Bute is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last five games he's played.
Meanwhile, Northridge won against Concord on Tuesday with four runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Wednesday. The Raiders had just enough and edged out Warsaw 4-2. The win was familiar territory for the Raiders, who have now won three games in a row.
Braxton Nagy spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on ten hits. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Northridge is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 4-5 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Brody Wood was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Northridge is undefeated when Wood posts two or more runs, but 4-5 otherwise. Preston Ryan was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
Northridge hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in ten consecutive contests.
Northridge's victory bumped their record up to 7-5. As for Mishawaka, their loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 4-1 and their overall record down to 8-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Mishawaka has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Northridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
