Mineral Ridge is a perfect 7-0 against Waterloo since April of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Wednesday. The Rams will take on the Vikings at 5:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Mineral Ridge has six straight wins, Waterloo has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Mineral Ridge had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 13-run drubbing they dealt Memorial on Monday. The Rams blew past the Red Devils 15-2. Considering the Rams have won four matches by more than five runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Jack Gillie
| 04/28/25 vs Memorial | 4 |
| 03/25/24 @ Waterloo | 3 |
| 04/24/25 @ Garfield | 2 |
| 04/16/24 @ Jackson-Milton | 2 |
| 04/21/25 @ Springfield | 1 |
Jack Gillie made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with three stolen bases and four runs. Those four runs gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Justin Dailey and Xavier Klamer did most of the damage at the plate: Dailey went a perfect 2-for-2 with four stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI, while Klamer went 3-for-4 with three runs, one triple, and two RBI. That's the most runs Klamer has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Jackson Geddes, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run.
Mineral Ridge always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .629. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Waterloo suffered their biggest defeat since April 1st on Tuesday. They lost 11-1 to Springfield.
Waterloo saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Landon McClain, who went 2-for-3 with one run.
Mineral Ridge pushed their record up to 10-2 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.3 runs over those games. As for Waterloo, their loss dropped their record down to 5-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Mineral Ridge has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Waterloo 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.
Mineral Ridge beat Waterloo 5-0 in their previous matchup on April 14th. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Rams since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
