Baseball Recap: Westville Comes Up Short

Westville had lost five straight at home, but on Friday they dropped their record down to 4-6 to make it six. They came up short against the Tri-Township Tigers, falling 16-1. The Blackhawks were not able to make up for their loss to the Tigers from their previous meeting back in May of 2024.

Westville saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Joey Villarreal, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base.

As for Tri-Township, their victory was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 4-3. Their hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.

On Tri-Township's side, Cody Vernich made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Vernich has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and one stolen base. Those four hits gave him a new career-high.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ethan Dailey, who went 1-for-4 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April of 2024. Bradley Irzylk was another key player, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.

We've got plenty of inter-conference action coming up soon. Westville is set to square off against their familiar foe Kouts at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Meanwhile, Tri-Township will challenge rival Hebron at 4:30 p.m. on Monday.