Mississinewa is 1-9 against Norwell since April of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Indians will be playing at home against the Knights at 5:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
While Mississinewa's victory against Southern Wells wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Indians sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with an 11-9 win over the Raiders on Monday. The victory continues a trend for the Indians in their matchups with the Raiders: they've now won eight in a row.
Bryson Vasquez made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). Vasquez was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Mississinewa let Merric Mobley and Lio Matamoros run wild. Mobley scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances, while Matamoros scored two runs and stole a base. That's the most runs Matamoros has posted since back in May of 2024. Ah'Lijah Monday also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, Norwell got the win against Marion on Monday by a conclusive 12-2. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Knights.
Ryne Thornton tossed a big game, striking out eight batters over 4.2 innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Drew Graft, who got on base in all five of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one triple. Another player making a difference was Eli Randol, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3.
Norwell 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 eight hits in five consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Norwell's win was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 2-0. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Mississinewa, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Mississinewa was able to grind out a solid win over Norwell in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, winning 14-10. Will the Indians repeat their success, or do the Knights have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
