Chewelah is on a nine-game streak of home wins, while Newport is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Cougars will welcome the Grizzlies at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Chewelah 1.6, Newport 2.5) so any runs scored will be well earned.
On Saturday, Chewelah made easy work of Northwest Christian School and carried off an 11-1 victory. The Cougars might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 matches by seven runs or more this season.
Bode Katzer tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over five innings pitched. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Makai Masuda and Luke McGuire did most of the damage at the plate: Masuda went 3-for-4 with four RBI, one run, and one double, while McGuire went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Nolan Jeanneret, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and one RBI.
Chewelah kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in eight consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Newport earned a 7-2 win over Reardan on Friday. The victory continues a trend for the Grizzlies in their matchups with the Screaming Eagles: they've now won three in a row.
Hank Kirkwood was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Kirkwood was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Newport let Ryder Riddles and Kutter Driver run wild. Riddles went 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI, while Driver got on base in all three of his plate appearances with two stolen bases. Nate Shaw also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
Chewelah's win bumped their record up to 16-0. As for Newport, their victory bumped their record up to 13-2.
Both the two teams just can't seem to miss. Chewelah has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.9 hits per game. However, it's not like Newport struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.2 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Chewelah was able to grind out a solid win over Newport in their previous matchup back in April of 2018, winning 5-2. Do the Cougars have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Grizzlies turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
