The Independence Blue Devils are taking a road trip to square off against the South Rebels at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Independence's favor is that they have posted at least ten runs every time they've taken the field this season.
Independence's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 20-0 margin over Trinity. The win continues a trend for the Blue Devils in their matchups with the Trojans: they've now won seven in a row.
Anderson Jolliffe was a major factor no matter where he played. He struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Sam Crooks
| 04/15/25 vs Trinity | 6 |
| 04/14/25 @ Trinity | 4 |
| 04/09/25 vs Brooklyn | 8 |
| 04/07/25 vs Brooklyn | 4 |
| 04/04/25 vs Bard Early College | 3 |
| 04/03/25 vs Crestwood | 4 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Sam Crooks, who went 3-for-4 with six RBI, two stolen bases, and one run. Crooks is crushing it when it comes to RBI: he's brought in at least three every time he's taken the field this season. Another player making a difference was Vinny Carriero, who scored three runs while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, South hadn't done well against Mayfield recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. The Rebels won by a run and slipped past the Wildcats 3-2.
Independence pushed their record up to 7-0 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home. The team's perfect season has a lot to do with their hitting performance: the team's won by an average of 15.7 runs thus far. As for South, their win ended a seven-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-6.
Independence couldn't quite finish off South in their previous meeting back in April of 2023 and fell 3-1. Can the Blue Devils avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
