The Wheeler Bearcats will be staying on the road on Monday to face off against the South Central Satellites at 12:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Wheeler is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand North Judson-San Pierre a 17-0 shutout. The result was nothing new for Wheeler, who have now won nine contests by eight runs or more so far this season.
Lucas McNamara made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and only one hit while striking out 13 over five innings pitched. McNamara was also big at the plate, going 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Nick Bravo was a standout: he scored two runs while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Christian Cutka, who scored two runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Meanwhile, South Central waltzed into their match on Saturday with five straight wins... but they left with six. They came out on top against the Hawks by a score of 12-8.
Like Wheeler, South Central also got a great game from a two-way player: Colin Ward. He struck out seven batters over 5.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits (and only one walk). Ward was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Gavin Gross was a standout: he went 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Jackson Bos was another key contributor, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two RBI and a double.
The win got Wheeler back to even at 12-12. As for South Central, they are on a roll lately: they've won 13 of their last 14 matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 16-6 record this season.
Monday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Wheeler has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .434. However, it's not like South Central struggles in that department as they've averaged .453. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Wheeler might still be hurting after the 12-5 loss they got from South Central when the teams last played back in March. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of South Central's Nolan Eaton, who went 3-for-4 with a home run, five RBI, and a double. Now that Wheeler knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
