The Iroquois West Raiders will challenge the Armstrong Trojans at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Iroquois West is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.6 runs per game this season.
Iroquois West is headed into Friday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Monday. They took a 7-3 hit to the loss column at the hands of Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin.
Iroquois West saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Izzy Alvarez, who went 2-for-4 with one home run and three RBI. Caleb Fauser also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Meanwhile, Armstrong hadn't done well against Paxton-Buckley-Loda recently (they were 0-4 in their previous four matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. The Trojans sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-5 win over the Panthers. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Trojans.
Becket Moran made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed five innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two runs and one stolen base.
Iroquois West's defeat dropped their record down to 7-9. As for Armstrong, their victory bumped their record up to 11-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Iroquois West has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Armstrong struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Iroquois West might still be hurting after the 8-0 loss they got from Armstrong in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Raiders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
