Baseball Game Preview: Mapleton Mounties vs. Northwestern Huskies

The Mapleton Mounties will square off against the Northwestern Huskies at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Mapleton took a loss when they played away from home last Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They blew past Oberlin 11-2.

Tyson Welch was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits (and only one walk). Welch was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 3-for-4.

In other batting news, Gabe Wrobleski was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing five bases while going 3-for-3. Landin Sanders was another key player, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

Mapleton always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .529. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Oberlin only posted an OBP of .222.

Meanwhile, Northwestern hadn't done well against Hillsdale recently (they were 0-9 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. The Huskies came out on top in a nail-biter against the Falcons, sneaking past 3-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Huskies have posted since March 29, 2024.

Mapleton's victory was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 1-2. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.6 runs over those games. As for Northwestern, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-2.