The DeKalb Barons will head out on the road to square off against the Fort Wayne Snider Panthers at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as DeKalb comes in on four and Fort Wayne Snider on five.
While DeKalb didn't have the best season last year (they finished 11-17), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They put the hurt on Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian with a sharp 12-1 victory on Tuesday. That's two games straight that the Barons have won by exactly 11 runs.
Brendan Vance spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on three hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Brady Vince, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. That home run marked the first that he has launched this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Ashten Tuttle, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with four RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Fort Wayne Snider). Their pitchers stepped up to hand Fort Wayne North Side a 31-0 shutout on Monday. Give the Panthers' pitching crew some credit: that's the team's fourth straight shutout.
Cam Davis made a splash while hitting and pitching. He tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Davis was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI.
In other pitching news, Isaiah Snavely looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Back at the plate, Fort Wayne Snider got a massive performance out of Ethan Welch, who went 5-for-6 with four runs, three RBI, and one stolen base. Those four runs gave Welch a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Landen Fry, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI.
Fort Wayne Snider kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 20 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in five consecutive matches.
Fort Wayne Snider's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-1. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 18.7 runs over those games. As for DeKalb, their record is now 7-1.
DeKalb might still be hurting after the 12-2 loss they got from Fort Wayne Snider in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Can the Barons avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
