Bushnell-Prairie City had lost 14 straight at home, but on Monday they dropped their record down to 0-23 to make it 15. They came up short against the West Prairie Cyclones, falling 14-2. If the Spartans were looking for revenge after losing 12-2 to the Cyclones when the teams met back in April of 2024, then they'll just have to keep looking.
Bushnell-Prairie City saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Thomas Anderson, who went 1-for-2 with one RBI. Connor Palm was another, getting on base in two of his three plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
As for West Prairie, their victory was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 3-11. Their hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
On West Prairie's side, Matthew Whitman made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 14 batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. That's the most strikeouts Whitman has posted since back in March of 2024. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with four runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. West Prairie is 3-1 when Whitman posts two or more runs, but 0-10 otherwise.
In other batting news, West Prairie let Austin Nelson and Braden Coplan run wild. Nelson went 4-for-5 with six RBI, two stolen bases, and one run, while Coplan got on base in all five of his plate appearances with four runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Nelson is becoming a predictor of West Prairie's success: when he posts at least three hits the team is 2-1 (and 1-10 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Eli DeCounter, who went 2-for-4 with one home run and two RBI.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Bushnell-Prairie City will take on Galva at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Wildcats have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed ten runs per game on average), something the Spartans will no doubt try to take advantage of. As for West Prairie, they will face off against Rushville-Industry at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The Cyclones' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Rockets have averaged an impressive 7.4 runs per game this season.
