Baseball Recap: Portage Central Wins Going Away Against Buchanan

Portage Central barely beat Buchanan the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Mustangs put the hurt on the Bucks with a sharp 11-3 win on Friday. The match marked the Mustangs' most dominant victory of the season.

Cooper Martinson

Batters Struck Out (Career)

05/23/25 vs Buchanan	4
04/26/25 vs Kalamazoo Christian	2
04/12/25 vs Edwardsburg	2
05/15/25 @ St. Joseph	1
05/08/25 vs Lakeview	1

Cooper Martinson looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (four).

At the plate, Rylan McNally was a standout: he went a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Nolan Bloomquist, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI.

Portage Central pushed their record up to 10-19 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.7 runs on average over those games. As for Buchanan, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost seven of their last nine games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 7-20-1 record this season.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Portage Central will face off against Harper Creek at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The Beavers' pitching crew has only allowed 3.6 runs per game this season, so the Mustangs' hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Buchanan, they will challenge Plainwell at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.