Union City is preparing for their first conference matchup of the season on Monday. They will host the Iroquois Braves at 4:00 p.m. Iroquois took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Union City, who comes in off a win.
Union City took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Corry, sneaking past 3-2.
Luke Racop made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over seven innings pitched. Racop was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ian Kinney, who got on base in all five of his plate appearances with one RBI. What's more, he posted three hits, the most he's had since back in April of 2025. Lucas Silka also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
Union City kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Iroquois couldn't beat Franklin on Friday even though they stacked six runs on them in the first inning. The Braves fell 15-10 to the Knights. Even though they lost, the Braves' still made a splash at the plate and bumped their average scoring up to 6.8 runs per game (they're now ranked -1th in scoring overall).
Iroquois got a massive performance out of Brian Rice, who went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Ethan Alderson, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base.
Union City's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 3-2. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Iroquois, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Union City has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Iroquois struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
