The Marion-Franklin Red Devils will face off against the Independence 76ers at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Marion-Franklin was handed an 11-run loss in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Monday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 9-7 win over South. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Red Devils have posted since April 17, 2025.
The team relied heavily on Marvin RJ Robinson, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, two doubles, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Aldo Castro, who went 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last game, Independence made sure to put some runs up on the board against Eastmoor Academy on Monday. The 76ers had just enough and edged out the Warriors 11-9. With that win, the 76ers brought their scoring average up to 6.8 runs per game.
Independence got a massive performance out of Luis Romero- Orellana, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with six stolen bases and three runs. The 76ers are undefeated when Romero- Orellana posts two or more stolen bases, but 0-3 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Richard Kearney, who went 1-for-2 with five stolen bases and two runs.
Independence always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .692. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Independence's victory was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 3-3. As for Marion-Franklin, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-2.
Marion-Franklin got the 'W' when the teams last played back in April of 2025 against Independence by a conclusive 22-5 score. Do the Red Devils have another victory up their sleeve, or will the 76ers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
