The University Trailblazers will head out to take on the Park Tudor Panthers at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
University had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the six-run drubbing they dealt Greenwood Christian Academy on Monday. The Trailblazers put the hurt on the Cougars with a sharp 8-2 win. The victory continues a trend for the Trailblazers in their matchups with the Cougars: they've now won eight in a row.
Laine Spears looked comfortable as he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits over four innings pitched. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two hits in seven consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Beckett Suh was incredible, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one triple, two RBI, and one run. Another player making a difference was Cooper Burnett, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Park Tudor). They were the clear victors by a 13-3 margin over Indianapolis Bishop Chatard on Monday. The Panthers not only won on Monday, but they posted their biggest win since May 5th (when they won 12-0).
Desmond Francis made a splash while hitting and pitching. He struck out seven batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and one run. He is becoming a predictor of Park Tudor's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is 6-1 (and 6-7 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on MJ Gaines, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI. Park Tudor is 8-1 when Gaines posts two or more runs, but 4-7 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Santana Jackson, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
Park Tudor was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .391. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive matchups.
University's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-10. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.7 runs over those games. As for Park Tudor, their record now sits at 12-8.
University came out on top in a nail-biter against Park Tudor in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, sneaking past 7-5. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Trailblazers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
