The Western Boone Stars are taking a road trip to face off against the Clinton Prairie Gophers at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Western Boone is coming into the game hot, having won their last four games.
Western Boone will bounce into Monday's matchup after beating Tri-West Hendricks, who they had gone 0-9 against in their nine prior meetings. The Stars walked away with an 8-4 victory over the Bruins on Saturday.
Gavin Hawkins was incredible, going 3-for-4 with four runs and two stolen bases. That's the most hits he has posted since back in May of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Quinn Westerfeld, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Clinton Prairie, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They walked away with a 6-1 win over Sheridan on Wednesday.
Kye Jacobs was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out 11 over six innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. He has become a key player for Clinton Prairie: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 2-3 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Luke Harshbarger, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Elijah Edwards, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Clinton Prairie's victory was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-3. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.1 runs over those games. As for Western Boone, their record is now 7-5.
Western Boone took their victory against Clinton Prairie in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 12-4 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Stars since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
