The New Prairie Cougars will challenge the Mishawaka Marian Knights at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. New Prairie will be looking to extend their current six-game winning streak.
New Prairie can't be too worried about heading out to take on Mishawaka Marian: they just beat Kouts at home, who had been dominant on their own field up to that point. The Cougars came out on top against the Mustangs & Fillies by a score of 10-5 on Monday. New Prairie's victory was all the more impressive since the Mustangs & Fillies were averaging only 2.27 runs allowed on the season.
Riley Masters
| 05/26/25 @ Kouts | 1 |
| 05/21/25 vs South Bend Washington | 2 |
| 05/12/25 vs Boone Grove | 2 |
Riley Masters looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Sullivan Kress and Reed Robinson did most of the damage at the plate: Kress went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI, while Robinson went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double. That's the most hits Kress has posted over his last 11 contests. Another player making a difference was Bryce Bell, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and one double.
New Prairie kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in six consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Mishawaka Marian came up short against Mishawaka on Saturday and fell 9-5. The Knights have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Mishawaka Marian saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Will Coughlin, who went 1-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
New Prairie's win was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 18-9. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.8 runs on average over those games. As for Mishawaka Marian, their loss dropped their record down to 10-17.
Mishawaka Marian's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: New Prairie hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .314. It's a different story for Mishawaka Marian, though, as they've only averaged .224. Will they be able to contain New Prairie's hitters?
New Prairie skirted past Mishawaka Marian 8-7 in their previous meeting on May 7th. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cougars since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
