The Firth Cougars will venture away from home to face off against the Malad Dragons at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Firth is coming into the match hot, having won their last seven games.
While Firth's win against Wendell wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Cougars sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 7-6 victory over the Trojans on Tuesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Cougars have posted against the Trojans since May 19, 2022.
Beau Ringel and Tonk Perry made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Ringel pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Perry struck out eight batters over six innings while giving up five earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits. Ringel has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. At the plate, Ringel scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances, while Perry scored a run while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. What's more, Ringel posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Grant Vasquez, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Malad came up short against Marsh Valley on Tuesday, falling 8-1. The Dragons have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Malad saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Carter Carey, who went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Firth's victory was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-3. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.6 runs on average over those games. As for Malad, their loss dropped their record down to 4-4.
Malad's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Firth has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .439. It's a different story for Malad, though, as they've only averaged .349. Will they be able to contain Firth's hitters?
Firth might still be hurting after the 13-3 defeat they got from Malad when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can the Cougars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
