The Gary West Side Cougars will square off against the Lake Station Edison Fighting Eagles at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Gary West Side headed into their last match having not scored more than two runs for four straight, but 21st Century Charter let them put that streak behind them. Gary West Side blew past 21st Century Charter 11-2 on Wednesday. The win was some much needed relief for Gary West Side as it spelled an end to their five-game losing streak.
CyLas Walker was incredible, going a perfect 2-for-2 with seven stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. Those two hits gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of King Cloma, who got on base in two of his three plate appearances with three stolen bases and one run.
Meanwhile, Lake Station Edison waltzed into their contest on Thursday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 7-6 W against the Wolves.
Joaquin Hernandez made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Hernandez was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base. Lake Station Edison is undefeated when Hernandez posts two or more runs, but 4-12 otherwise.
In other batting news, Lake Station Edison let Kaylan Colon and Xavier Moore run wild. Colon went 1-for-2 with three stolen bases and one run, while Moore went 1-for-2 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Colon has become a key player for Lake Station Edison: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 6-11 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Zach Brown, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases.
Lake Station Edison's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-12. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for Gary West Side, their victory bumped their record up to 2-11.
Gary West Side might still be hurting after the 12-2 loss they got from Lake Station Edison when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Can the Cougars avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
