Baseball Game Preview: Cherryvale Chargers vs. Bluestem Lions

Cherryvale and Bluestem are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2018, but likely not for long. The Chargers will square off against the Lions at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

On Thursday, Cherryvale got the win against Eureka by a conclusive 17-1. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Chargers.

Wyatt Whittley was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run.

Braxton Whittley

Stolen Base

04/15/25 vs Caney Valley	4
05/01/25 @ Eureka	2
04/22/25 @ Fredonia	2
05/01/25 @ Eureka	1
04/22/25 @ Fredonia	1
+ 1 more games

In other batting news, Cherryvale got a massive performance out of Braxton Whittley, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. Whittley is becoming a predictor of the Chargers' success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is undefeated (and 3-12 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Trenton Grimm, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Bluestem came tearing into Friday's game with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 4-1 win over the Red Devils.

Like Cherryvale, Bluestem also got a great game from a two-way player: Tristan Highbarger. He struck out eight batters over 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and only one walk). Those eight strikeouts gave Highbarger a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run.

Highbarger wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Myles Highbarger, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs. That's the most stolen bases Myles has posted since back in April. Gabe Oltman also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.

The victory got Bluestem back to even at 8-8. As for Cherryvale, their record is now 6-12.