The Mather Rangers will face off against the Westinghouse Warriors at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Mather is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.1 runs per game this season.
For some reason, the away team has come away with the win the last five times Mather and Chicago Academy have met, but the home crowd finally got their W on Wednesday. The Rangers walked away with an 8-3 win over the Cougars. The Rangers haven't had any issues with the Cougars recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Roy Beard
| 04/26/25 vs Freeport | 7 |
| 04/30/25 vs Farragut | 4 |
| 04/12/25 vs Disney II | 2 |
| 05/07/25 vs Chicago Academy | 1 |
Jeriel Mejias and Roy Beard made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Mejias didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over 4.2 innings pitched. Meanwhile, Beard struck out six batters over 2.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit (and only one walk). He has become a key player for Mather: the team is 2-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 6-8 otherwise. At the plate, Mejias went 3-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI, while Beard went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. That's the most hits Mejias has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Aaron Roman, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in May of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Lucas Lambert, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Westinghouse was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their eighth straight defeat. They lost 19-7 to Northside. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since May 6, 2022, but that streak is no more.
Myles McElrath was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Bryan Navarrete was another key player, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Mather's win bumped their record up to 8-9. As for Westinghouse, their loss dropped their record down to 4-9.
Mather was able to grind out a solid victory over Westinghouse when the teams last played back in May of 2024, winning 13-8. Do the Rangers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Warriors turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
