After having lost a blowout in their previous game against Brimfield, West Prairie was happy to have turned things around on Monday. They blew past the Bushnell-Prairie City Spartans 14-2. The victory was some much needed relief for the Cyclones as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.
Matthew Whitman made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out 14 batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in five consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with four runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. What's more, he posted two hits, the most he's had since back in March.
| 04/28/25 @ Bushnell-Prairie City | 4 |
| 04/19/25 vs Astoria/VIT | 3 |
| 04/22/24 vs Bushnell-Prairie City | 3 |
| 04/13/24 @ Astoria/VIT | 2 |
| 04/10/24 vs Biggsville West Central | 2 |
In other batting news, West Prairie let Austin Nelson and Braden Coplan run wild. Nelson went 4-for-5 with six RBI, two stolen bases, and one run, while Coplan got on base in all five of his plate appearances with four runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Those four runs gave Coplan a new career-high. Eli DeCounter also deserves some recognition as he launched his first home run of the season.
West Prairie always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .561. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
West Prairie's win was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 3-11. As for Bushnell-Prairie City, they are on a 24-game losing streak (dating back to last season) that has dropped them down to 0-23.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. West Prairie will welcome Rushville-Industry at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The Cyclones' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Rockets have averaged an impressive 7.4 runs per game this season. As for Bushnell-Prairie City, they will host Galva at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Wildcats have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed ten runs per game on average), something the Spartans will no doubt try to take advantage of.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
