The McEwen Warriors will face off against the West Carroll War Eagles at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. McEwen is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.3 runs per game this season.
Having struggled with four defeats in a row, McEwen turned things around against Houston County on Wednesday. They put the hurt on the Fighting Irish with a sharp 14-4 victory. The game was the first time the Warriors have beaten the Fighting Irish on their field since March 30, 2021.
Mason Oliphant made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits. Oliphant was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Those two runs gave him a new career-high.
Ben McPherson
| 03/13/25 @ West Carroll | 4 |
| 03/27/25 @ South-Doyle | 3 |
| 04/09/25 @ Houston County | 2 |
| 03/18/25 vs Perry County | 2 |
| 04/08/25 vs Houston County | 1 |
| + 4 more games |
In other batting news, McEwen got a massive performance out of Ben McPherson, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. The Warriors are undefeated when McPherson posts two or more runs, but 1-10 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Cane Burdette, who went 2-for-5 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple.
McEwen kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Houston County only managed nine hits.
The home team had won the previous four meetings between West Carroll and Bradford, and Bradford kept the tradition alive. The War Eagles came up short against the Red Devils on Wednesday, falling 13-3. The War Eagles have struggled against the Red Devils recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive lost meeting.
West Carroll saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Harlan Hames, who went 1-for-2 with two RBI. Another was Cole McMinn, who scored a run and stole a base.
McEwen's win bumped their record up to 5-10. As for West Carroll, their loss dropped their record down to 3-13.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. McEwen has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like West Carroll struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
McEwen took their victory against West Carroll in their previous matchup back in March by a conclusive 15-3 score. Will the Warriors repeat their success, or do the War Eagles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
