Waterloo is 9-1 against Cherokee since April of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Monday. The Cougars will head out to square off against the Indians at 4:30 p.m. Waterloo is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.9 runs per game this season.
It was a proper cat-fight when Waterloo took on Tharptown on Monday. The Cougars blew past the Wildcats 10-3. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Cougars' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Jacob Hart was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Waterloo is 4-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 2-5 otherwise. Hart was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
In other pitching news, Stalin Wood tossed a big game, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out nine over 5.1 innings pitched. He is becoming a predictor of Waterloo's success: when he allows at most one earned run the team is 2-1 (and 4-5 when he doesn't).
Ryan Benson
| 03/23/26 vs Tharptown | 2 |
| 03/17/26 @ Covenant Christian | 1 |
| 03/17/26 @ Covenant Christian | 1 |
| 03/16/26 vs Covenant Christian | 2 |
| 03/13/26 @ Alcorn Central | 1 |
| + 3 more games |
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Ryan Benson, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Benson is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: he's snagged at least one every time he's taken the field this season. Landon Jones was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Cherokee was not able to break out of their rough patch last Thursday as the team picked up their 17th straight defeat dating back to last season. They lost 14-0 to Tremont.
The win got Waterloo back to even at 6-6. As for Cherokee, their loss dropped their record down to 0-10.
Everything went Waterloo's way against Cherokee when the teams last played back in April of 2025, as Waterloo made off with a 16-2 victory. Will the Cougars repeat their success, or do the Indians have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
