Riverview and Wharton are an even 4-4 against one another since February of 2015, but likely not for long. The Riverview Sharks will venture away from home to square off against the Wharton Wildcats at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Riverview is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.6 runs per game this season.
Riverview barely beat Brandon the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Riverview blew past Brandon 12-4 on Thursday. While the Sharks didn't have the best season last year (they finished 4-20), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Riverview got a great performance from Parker Burt as he pitched six innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits. Burt has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks any time he's pitched this season.
Justin Edwards
| 02/27/25 vs Brandon | 3 |
| 02/13/25 vs Middleton | 2 |
| 04/20/24 @ Tampa Bay Tech | 2 |
| 04/09/24 vs Durant | 1 |
On the hitting side, Justin Edwards and Jack Crawford did most of the damage at the plate: Edwards scored a run while going 2-for-3, while Crawford scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. The dominant performance also gave Edwards a new career-high in RBI (three). Another player making a difference was Kaden Hess, who scored a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Riverview always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .583. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Brandon only posted an OBP of .310.
While Wharton didn't have the best season last year (they finished 11-15), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They had just enough and edged out Robinson 1-0. The one-run effort marked the Wildcats' lowest-scoring contest of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Not much got past Daniel Duno, who gave up just five hits and racked up ten Ks to keep Robinson off the board.
At the plate, Wharton saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Alex Johnstone, who went 1-for-2 with one double.
Riverview's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-2. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to hits: they averaged an imposing 10.25 hits in those games compared to only five in the others. As for Wharton, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 6-1.
Riverview suffered a grim 13-2 defeat to Wharton in their previous meeting back in March of 2021. Can Riverview avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
