The Wendell Trojans will face off against the Marsing Huskies at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Wendell has given up an average of 9.1 runs per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Wendell is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Firth just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Thursday. They came up short against the Cougars, falling 21-3. Trojans fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Cougars since on Thursday.
Wendell saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Julian Ponce, who scored two runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-2.
Meanwhile, Marsing got themselves on the board against Vision on Wednesday, but Vision never followed suit. They put the hurt on Vision with a sharp 10-0 victory. The Huskies might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by eight runs or more this season.
Luke Steinmeyer made a splash no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while going 2-for-4. He is becoming a predictor of Marsing's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 2-3 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, Dresden Wood was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing five bases while going 2-for-2. Those five stolen bases gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Teagan Kinney, who scored two runs and stole three bases while going 1-for-3.
The win made it two in a row for Marsing and bumps their season record up to 6-3. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 4 runs in those games. As for Wendell, their loss dropped their record down to 3-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Wendell has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Marsing struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Wendell took their win against Marsing in their previous matchup back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 9-3 score. Will the Trojans repeat their success, or do the Huskies have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
