Walnut Hills will challenge Milford at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Walnut Hills has struggled recently with three losses in a row, while Milford will arrive with four straight wins.
Loveland hit Walnut Hills with a four-run first inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Eagles came up short against the Tigers, falling 8-2.
Walnut Hills saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Michael Scruggs, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one run. Rhys Wise also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Meanwhile, Milford got the win against Goshen on Saturday by a conclusive 12-2. The result was nothing new for the Eagles, who have now won six matchups by eight runs or more so far this season.
Joe Cafferky looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out six over four innings pitched.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Mason Bargo, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Jake McGrath was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Milford was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .455. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .400 or higher in four consecutive games.
Milford's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-4. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Walnut Hills, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-6.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Walnut Hills has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Milford struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Walnut Hills took their victory against Milford in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 9-2 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for Walnut Hills since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
