Rushville and Oldenburg Academy are an even 4-4 against one another since May of 2016, but likely not for long. The Lions will head out to take on the Twisters at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Rushville will be strutting in after a victory while Oldenburg Academy will be coming in after a loss.
Rushville barely beat Franklin County the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Lions put the hurt on the Wildcats with a sharp 8-1 win on Friday. The Lions not only won on Friday, but they posted their biggest win since May 7th (when they won 12-2).
Trent Smith
| 05/21/25 vs East Central | 6 |
| 04/14/25 vs Greensburg | 4 |
| 05/17/25 vs Shelbyville | 3 |
| 04/17/25 @ Greensburg | 2 |
| 05/23/25 vs Franklin County | 1 |
| + 4 more games |
Trent Smith spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on three hits. He has become a key player for Rushville: the team is 4-2 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 1-13 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Nicholas Bowles was excellent, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with one stolen base and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Casey Thompson, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
Union County hit Oldenburg Academy with a four-run fourth inning on Monday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Twisters lost 9-3 to the Patriots. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since April 23, 2016, but that streak is no more.
Zach Hoff made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs. Juston Dietz was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Rushville's victory ended a five-game drought at home and bumped them up to 5-15. As for Oldenburg Academy, their defeat was their third straight at home, which dropped their record down to 8-8.
Rushville came out on top in a nail-biter against Oldenburg Academy in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, sneaking past 4-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Lions since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
