Baseball Game Preview: Andrean Fighting 59ers vs. Highland Trojans

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Previous Games

04/29/25 - Away	10-2 W
04/28/25 - Home	20-0 W
04/23/24 - Home	9-1 W
04/22/24 - Away	4-6 L
05/09/23 - Away	9-2 W
+ 5 more games

Andrean is 9-1 against Highland since May of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Saturday. The Fighting 59ers will take on the Trojans. Andrean's pitching crew has only allowed 2.8 runs per game this season, so Highland's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Andrean is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They came out on top against Hanover Central by a score of 5-2. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Fighting 59ers.

Meanwhile, Highland entered their tilt with Hammond Bishop Noll on Monday with five consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with six. They never let the Warriors get on the board and left with a 13-0 victory.

Caden VanderMeyden was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April of 2024. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and one double.

In other batting news, Highland got a big performance out of Justin Slaven, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Slaven is becoming a predictor of the Trojans' success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 11-13 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Nate Phillips, who went 1-for-4 with three RBI and two runs.

Highland's win bumped their record up to 17-13. As for Andrean, their victory bumped their record up to 27-3.

Everything went Andrean's way against Highland in their previous meeting back in April, as Andrean made off with a 10-2 win. Will the Fighting 59ers repeat their success, or do the Trojans have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.