The Tri-West Hendricks Bruins will square off against the Whiteland Warriors at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Tri-West Hendricks is coming into the contest hot, having won their last four games.
While Tri-West Hendricks didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-17), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. Everything went their way against Southmont on Wednesday as they made off with a 13-2 victory. That looming 13-2 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Bruins yet this season.
Luke Haboush looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over four innings pitched. Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
At the plate, Ethan Frye was a standout: he went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. That triple marked the first that he hit this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Jackson Catt, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Tri-West Hendricks hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Southmont struck out seven times.
Meanwhile, Whiteland didn't have quite enough to beat Plainfield on Wednesday and fell 4-3. The game marked the Warriors' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Peyton Dickens was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-2 with one home run, one stolen base, and two RBI. Sebastian Walton was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one home run.
Whiteland's loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 4-2. As for Tri-West Hendricks, their win bumped their record up to 4-1.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Tri-West Hendricks hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like Whiteland struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.5 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Tri-West Hendricks suffered a grim 15-2 defeat to Whiteland in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Bruins avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
