The Triton Central Tigers will square off against the Southwestern Spartans at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
While Triton Central's victory against Monrovia wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Tigers had just enough and edged out the Bulldogs 12-11 on Wednesday. Winning may never get old, but the Tigers sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.
Triton Central let Brayden Hoover and Bo West run wild. Hoover went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double, while West went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Brody Hartman, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
Triton Central was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .433. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .353 or higher in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Southwestern). Everything went their way against Edinburgh on Wednesday as they made off with a 12-2 win. With that victory, the Spartans brought their scoring average up to 6.5 runs per game.
Isaac Bunch made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out eight over five innings pitched. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs. He is becoming a predictor of Southwestern's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 3-4 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, James Oliver and Landon Drake did most of the damage at the plate: Oliver went 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI, while Drake went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs. That's the most stolen bases Drake has posted since back in May of 2024. Micah Schoolcraft was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
The win made it two in a row for Southwestern and bumps their season record up to 6-4. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.5 runs over those games. As for Triton Central, their win bumped their record up to 12-4.
Southwestern's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Triton Central hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .348. It's a different story for Southwestern, though, as they've only averaged .255. Will they be able to contain Triton Central's hitters?
Everything went Triton Central's way against Southwestern in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, as Triton Central made off with a 14-3 victory. Will the Tigers repeat their success, or do the Spartans have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
