The South Adams Starfires will square off against the Churubusco Eagles at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Having struggled with nine losses in a row, South Adams turned things around against Southern Wells on Thursday. They blew past the Raiders 12-6. The Starfires not only won on Thursday, but they posted their biggest win since April 16th (when they won 13-3).
Kane Sturwold looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, South Adams got a massive performance out of Jax Wanner, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. That's the most RBI Wanner has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Manuel Juarez, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Churubusco). They were the clear victors by an 18-3 margin over Hamilton on Thursday. The Eagles haven't had any issues with the Marines recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive victory against them.
Bransen Hart was incredible, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI. He has become a key player for Churubusco: the team is undefeated when he posts at least three hits, but 1-11 otherwise. Brady Knott was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI.
Churubusco kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 4.9 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 10.
South Adams' win was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 2-12. As for Churubusco, they picked up their first road victory, bumping their record up to 4-11.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. South Adams has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Churubusco struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
South Adams beat Churubusco 5-0 in their previous matchup back in May of 2023. Do the Starfires have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Eagles turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
