Baseball Game Preview: West Prairie Cyclones vs. Cuba/Spoon River Valley Wildcats

West Prairie hasn't had much luck against Cuba/Spoon River Valley recently, but that could start to change on Wednesday. The Cyclones will square off against the Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. West Prairie will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each game than the last.

West Prairie had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the eight-run drubbing they dealt Astoria/VIT on Saturday. The Cyclones never let the Rebels get on the board and left with an 8-0 win. The Cyclones haven't had any issues with the Rebels recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.

Matthew Whitman made a splash no matter where he played. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 13 over 5.1 innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one triple. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in April of 2024.

In other batting news, Austin Nelson was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those four hits gave him a new career-high. Braden Coplan was another key player, going 1-for-3 with five stolen bases and three runs.

West Prairie kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Astoria/VIT only managed two hits.

Meanwhile, Cuba/Spoon River Valley was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 5-4 heartbreaker at the hands of Carrollton.

Cuba/Spoon River Valley's defeat dropped their record down to 7-7. As for West Prairie, they picked up their first home win, bumping their record up to 2-8.

West Prairie might still be hurting after the 13-0 loss they got from Cuba/Spoon River Valley when the teams last played last Saturday. Can the Cyclones avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.