The Watseka Warriors will head out on the road to face off against the Armstrong Trojans at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Watseka has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the contest with three straight defeats, while Armstrong will come in with four straight wins.
Salt Fork hit Watseka with a four-run third inning on Thursday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Warriors came up short against the Storm, falling 8-1.
Watseka saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was James Newell, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI. Another was Andrew Shoemaker, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, Armstrong got the win against Cissna Park on Thursday by a conclusive 12-1. The result was nothing new for the Trojans, who have now won seven games by six runs or more so far this season.
Davyn Franzen and Bowen Hesterberg were major factors no matter where they played. Throwing, Franzen tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Hesterberg pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Franzen has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. At bat, Franzen went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI, while Hesterberg got on base in two of his four plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. That's the most runs Franzen has posted since back in March of 2024.
In other batting news, Armstrong let Traxton Roberts and Rhys Showalter run wild. Roberts went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run, while Showalter went 1-for-2 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Becket Moran was another key player, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with one run.
Armstrong pushed their record up to 9-2 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.8 runs over those games. As for Watseka, their loss dropped their record down to 1-9.
Watseka suffered a grim 9-2 defeat to Armstrong in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Warriors avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
