vs
| 04/13/26 - Home | 12-0 W |
| 05/09/25 - Away | 11-3 W |
| 04/14/25 - Home | 9-3 W |
| 04/16/24 - Home | 12-2 W |
| 04/15/24 - Away | 12-0 W |
| + 5 more games |
McDonald is 9-1 against Western Reserve since April of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. McDonald is taking a road trip to challenge Western Reserve at 6:00 p.m. McDonald's pitching crew has only allowed 2.8 runs per game this season, so Western Reserve's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
McDonald fell victim to South Range and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They came up short against the Raiders, falling 12-0. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Blue Devils, who until this game were averaging 2.79 runs allowed.
McDonald saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Quinn Schmidt, who went 1-for-3 with one double.
Western Reserve not only won on Monday, but they posted their biggest win since April 18th (when they won 24-1). They were the clear victors by a 10-0 margin over Lordstown. The result was nothing new for the Blue Devils, who have now won six matchups by six runs or more so far this season.
Western Reserve also got a great performance from Landan Gerchak as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out seven over five innings pitched.
On the hitting side, Western Reserve let Peyton Hartzell and Hunter Stacy run wild. Hartzell went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run, while Stacy got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs and one double. Western Reserve is undefeated when Stacy posts two or more runs, but 5-6 otherwise. Cole Dotson also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Western Reserve always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .531. The last time their OBP was this high was back in April.
Western Reserve pushed their record up to 12-6 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games. As for McDonald, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-5.
Friday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. McDonald has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .451. However, it's not like Western Reserve struggles in that department as they've averaged .432. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went McDonald's way against Western Reserve in their previous meeting back in April, as McDonald made off with a 12-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for McDonald since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
