Baseball Game Preview: Oberlin Phoenix vs. Rittman Indians

The Oberlin Phoenix are taking a road trip to challenge the Rittman Indians at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.

On Friday, Oberlin needed a bit of extra time to put away Grand Valley. They won by a run and slipped past the Mustangs 6-5.

Drew Walter

Batters Struck Out (Career)

05/23/25 @ Grand Valley	12
05/06/25 @ Clearview	10
04/01/25 vs Danbury	10
05/12/25 @ Open Door Christian	9
04/12/25 @ Columbia	7

Drew Walter was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up five earned runs off 11 hits. Those 12 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two runs and two doubles. Oberlin is 4-1 when Walter posts two or more runs, but 2-13 otherwise.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Julian Anderson, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and one double. He is becoming a predictor of Oberlin's success: when he posts at least three RBI the team is undefeated (and 3-14 when he doesn't).

Rittman came out on top against East Palestine on Friday thanks in part to the team's impressive five-run seventh inning. The Indians narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past the Bulldogs 5-3. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Indians.

Oberlin's record now sits at 6-14. As for Rittman, their win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 13-15.

Oberlin suffered a grim 10-1 defeat to Rittman in their previous meeting back in March of 2024. Can the Phoenix avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.