Baseball Recap: Sandwich Has No Trouble Against Mendota

Sandwich had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the six-run drubbing they dealt Mendota on Tuesday. The Indians put the hurt on the Trojans with a sharp 10-4 victory. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Indians' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.

Nick Michalek made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed six innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. Michalek was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. He has become a key player for Sandwich: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 10-14 otherwise.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Griffin Somlock, who got on base in all five of his plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April. Anthony Wade was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs.

Sandwich is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a massive bump to their 17-14 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for Mendota, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost 11 of their last 12 matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 8-16-1 record this season.

Sandwich and Mendota could both be facing uphill battles in their next games considering their disadvantage in the MaxPreps Illinois Rankings. The Indians will face off against Kaneland at 4:30 p.m. on Friday with a big rank disadvantage (362 vs. 78). Meanwhile, Mendota (ranked 454th) will meet Illinois Valley Central (ranked 120th) at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.