Riverside is a perfect 10-0 against Western Wayne since April of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Vikings are taking a road trip to challenge the Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. Riverside will be strutting in after a win while Western Wayne will be coming in after a loss.
Riverside barely beat Old Forge the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Vikings were the clear victors by a 12-2 margin over the Blue Devils on Monday. Considering the Vikings have won eight contests by more than five runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Cooper Borowski
| 04/20/26 vs Old Forge | 1 |
| 04/16/26 @ Mid Valley | 1 |
| 04/13/26 @ Lakeland | 0 |
Cooper Borowski made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing six innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one RBI.
In other batting news, Riverside got a massive performance out of Nicholas Bohenek, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases and three runs. Another player making a difference was Chris Graff, who went 1-for-4 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Riverside always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .564. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Old Forge only posted an OBP of .238.
Meanwhile, Western Wayne was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They took a 4-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of Lakeland. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last six times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Western Wayne saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Vinny Baldini, who went 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Riverside pushed their record up to 11-1 with the victory, which was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Western Wayne, their loss dropped their record down to 4-8.
Western Wayne's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Riverside has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .482. It's a different story for Western Wayne, though, as they've only averaged .311. Will they be able to contain Riverside's hitters?
Riverside got the 'W' in their previous meeting back in March against Western Wayne by a conclusive 11-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Vikings since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
