Van Buren is on a four-game streak of home wins, while Elmwood is on a five-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Black Knights will host the Royals at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Van Buren's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. They put the hurt on Vanlue with a sharp 17-0 victory. The win continues a trend for the Black Knights in their matchups with the Wildcats: they've now won four in a row.
Meanwhile, Elmwood got the win against Arlington on Monday by a conclusive 10-0.
Cadyn Stewart was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Ryken Zeigler and Colton Bradford did most of the damage at the plate: Zeigler got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one triple, while Bradford got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. Those two stolen bases gave Bradford a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Kason Hammer, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Elmwood was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .381. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .355 or higher in three consecutive matches.
Elmwood is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 12 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.2 runs over those games. As for Van Buren, their win bumped their record up to 16-2.
Van Buren was able to grind out a solid victory over Elmwood in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, winning 3-0. Do the Black Knights have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Royals turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
