The Mississinewa Indians are taking a road trip to take on the Homestead Spartans at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Mississinewa 2.3, Homestead 3.4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Mississinewa fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against Madison-Grant on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Argylls by a score of 3-2. The Indians' loss signaled the end of their six-game winning streak.
Lilah Greer spent all 9.2 innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on eight hits and racked up six Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Parker Matchette was cooking despite her team's loss, going 3-for-5 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. That stolen base was her first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Amiyaa Parr-Inman, who went 2-for-5 with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Homestead had already won seven in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5.3 runs) and they went ahead and made it eight on Thursday. They walked away with a 5-1 victory over the Panthers.
Grace Jordan was excellent, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Peyton Renier, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one run and one RBI.
Homestead's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-3. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for Mississinewa, their defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 12-3.
Saturday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Mississinewa hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .338. However, it's not like Homestead struggles in that department as they've averaged .325. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Mississinewa beat Homestead 4-1 in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Indians since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
