The Oakwood Comets will head out on the road to take on the Milford Bearcats at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Oakwood is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.6 runs per game this season.
Oakwood took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. They never let Georgetown-Ridge Farm/Chrisman get on the board and left with a 12-0 win. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Comets considering their one-run performance the game before.
| 05/06/25 @ Salt Fork | 4 |
| 03/24/25 vs Tolono Unity | 3 |
| 04/14/25 vs Watseka | 1 |
Chase Harrison made a splash no matter where he played. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Oakwood is 5-1 when he allows at most three earned runs, but 11-12 otherwise. Harrison was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and one stolen base. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, Oakwood got a massive performance out of Bryson Marcinko, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. The Comets are undefeated when Marcinko posts two or more runs, but 7-13 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Jackson Dudley, who went 2-for-3 with four stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
Oakwood lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Milford duked it out with Herscher on Wednesday. The Bearcats came out on top against the Tigers by a score of 4-0.
The result came thanks to Beau Wright's shutout, as he gave up just three hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Milford's victory was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Preston Janssen, who went 1-for-2 with one RBI.
Oakwood pushed their record up to 16-13 with the win, which was their ninth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for Milford, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-15 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Oakwood has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Milford struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Oakwood couldn't quite get it done against Milford when the teams last played back in April of 2024 as they fell 5-2. Can the Comets avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
