vs
| 05/08/24 - Home | 10-5 W |
| 05/07/24 - Home | 4-3 W |
| 05/30/23 - Home | 12-4 W |
| 05/30/23 - Home | 8-0 W |
| 05/09/23 - Away | 10-2 W |
| + 5 more games |
Montague is a perfect 10-0 against Manistee since May of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Wednesday. The Wildcats will face off against the Chippewas at 4:00 p.m. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
While Montague didn't have the best season last year (they finished 14-19-1), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They walked away with a 6-3 win over Mason County Central on Monday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Wildcats.
Cooper Bradley was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double. Robbie Smith also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Manistee). They were the clear victors by a 13-0 margin over Orchard View on Friday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
The team relied heavily on Miles Joseph, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. That's the most hits he has posted since back in May of 2024. Another player making a difference was Mason Robinson, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with three runs.
Manistee always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .652. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Manistee pushed their record up to 4-6 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Montague, their record is now 10-5-1.
Manistee's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Wednesday. Montague has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Manistee, though, as they've been averaging only 3.1 strikeouts. Will Montague keep running through batters, or will the Chippewas buck the trend?
Montague beat Manistee 10-5 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wildcats since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
