Baseball Game Preview: Mifflin Punchers vs. Whetstone Braves

Mifflin is 0-10 against Whetstone since April of 2019 but things could change on Thursday. The Punchers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Braves at 5:30 p.m. Mifflin is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.9 runs per game this season.

On Wednesday, Mifflin got the win against Northland by a conclusive 14-8. The Punchers haven't had any issues with the Vikings recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive win against them.

Benny Villegas made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over five innings while giving up three earned (and three unearned) runs off only two hits. Villegas was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-5.

Adrian Hernandez

Stolen Base

04/16/25 @ Northland	2
04/15/25 @ Whitehall-Yearling	3
04/09/25 @ Centennial	2
04/07/25 @ East	1
04/02/25 @ Beechcroft	2
03/28/25 vs Linden-McKinley	2

In other batting news, Adrian Hernandez was a standout: he scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4. Hernandez is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: he's snagged at least one every time he's taken the field this season. Wilfred Torres was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.

Meanwhile, Wednesday just wasn't the day for Whetstone's offense. They fell just short of Centennial by a score of 1-0 on Wednesday. The match marked the first time this season in which the Braves were not able to get on the board.

Whetstone's defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 7-1 and their overall record down to 9-3. As for Mifflin, their victory bumped their record up to 6-3.

Mifflin suffered a grim 16-4 defeat to Whetstone in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Punchers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.