The Sherrard Tigers will face off against the Riverdale Rams at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Sherrard made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Princeton, but they still couldn't quite topple them. Sherrard put the hurt on Princeton with a sharp 11-4 victory on Saturday. Considering Sherrard has won four games by more than six runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Eli Matson made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over five innings pitched. Matson was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 2-for-5.
In other batting news, Harrison Curry was excellent, scoring three runs while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. Richard Shannon was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Sherrard was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .414. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Riverdale never let their opponents score on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 10-0 margin over Monmouth-Roseville. The match marked the Rams' most dominant win of the season so far.
Like Sherrard, Riverdale also got a great game from a two-way player: Gaege Heinsen. Throwing, Heinsen didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out eight over 4.2 innings pitched. Meanwhile, Landen Peterson tossed 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He also tossed no walks, which is notable because Riverdale is 2-1 when he allows at most two walks, but 3-5 otherwise. At the plate, Heinsen scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Peterson scored two runs while going 1-for-2. Heinsen also put up a double, which was his first of the season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Colton Huffman, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three stolen bases, and two runs. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March of 2024. Another player making a difference was Tyler Nadolson, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Sherrard is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-3 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.8 runs on average over those games. As for Riverdale, their win bumped their record up to 5-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Sherrard has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Riverdale struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Sherrard's way against Riverdale in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, as Sherrard made off with a 15-4 victory. Will the Tigers repeat their success, or do the Rams have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
