Baseball Recap: West Morgan Takes Down New Hope in a Playoff Battle

Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only West Morgan walked away with it. They came out on top against the New Hope Indians by a score of 9-6 on Friday. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Rebels as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.

Conner Rikard spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned (and three unearned) runs on nine hits. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because West Morgan is 6-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 10-13 otherwise.

Carter Stephens

Runs

03/25/25 @ Austin	3
04/18/25 vs New Hope	2
04/10/25 @ Danville	2
04/08/25 vs Danville	2
04/01/25 vs Good Hope	2
+ 14 more games

On the hitting side, Carter Stephens was incredible, going 2-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and one triple. He is becoming a predictor of West Morgan's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 8-14 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Tyler Stalls, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI.

West Morgan always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .529. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as New Hope only posted an OBP of .375.

West Morgan's win bumped their record up to 16-14. As for New Hope, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost four of their last five matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 14-16 record this season.

West Morgan will have a chance to go back-to-back against New Hope: the pair's next game is a rematch scheduled at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday.