The Northridge Raiders will head out on the road to face off against the Mishawaka Cavemen at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Northridge will be strutting in after a win while Mishawaka will be coming in after a loss.
While Northridge's victory against Warsaw wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Raiders sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-2 win over the Tigers on Wednesday. Four seems to be a good number for the Raiders as the team scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Braxton Nagy
Braxton Nagy spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on ten hits. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Northridge is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 4-5 otherwise.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Brody Wood, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Northridge is undefeated when Wood posts two or more runs, but 4-5 otherwise. Luke Mann also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Northridge hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in ten consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Mishawaka unfortunately witnessed the end of their six-game winning streak on Wednesday. They fell just short of NorthWood by a score of 3-2. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Landon Johns was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out six batters over 6.2 innings while giving up three earned runs off four hits.
At the plate, Mishawaka saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Izaiah Bute, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run. Bute is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last five games he's played.
Northridge's win bumped their record up to 7-5. As for Mishawaka, their defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 4-1 and their overall record down to 8-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Northridge has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Mishawaka struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Northridge skirted past Mishawaka 6-5 when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Will the Raiders repeat their success, or do the Cavemen have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
