West Central hasn't had much luck against Pioneer recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Trojans will face off against the Panthers at 9:00 a.m. West Central is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.9 runs per game this season.
While West Central's win against North White wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Trojans skirted past the Vikings 5-3. The victory continues a trend for the Trojans in their matchups with the Vikings: they've now won eight in a row.
Teagan Holle spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on three hits and racked up 11 Ks. He has become a key player for West Central: the team is undefeated when he posts at least eight strikeouts, but 5-9 otherwise.
Addison Huber
| 05/08/25 vs North White | 2 |
| 05/06/25 @ North White | 1 |
| 05/01/25 @ North Newton | 1 |
| 04/29/25 vs North Newton | 1 |
| 04/28/25 vs Caston | 1 |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Addison Huber, who got on base in two of his three plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Those two runs gave him a new career-high. Tate Leman also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Meanwhile, while Pioneer put up plenty of runs on Friday, the same can't be said for Argos. The Panthers were the clear victors by a 14-0 margin over the Dragons. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six matchups by ten runs or more this season.
Pioneer got a massive performance out of Juan Solano, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Jason Gluth, who went 2-for-5 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and one run.
Pioneer was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .433. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .333 or higher in four consecutive games.
West Central's record now sits at 8-9. As for Pioneer, their record is now an identical 8-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. West Central has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Pioneer struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
West Central suffered a grim 14-4 defeat to Pioneer in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Trojans avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
