The Western Hills Mustangs will face off against the Clark Montessori Cougars at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Western Hills knows how to get runs on the board -- the squad has finished with ten runs or more in their past three games -- so hopefully Clark Montessori likes a good challenge.
Western Hills made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Norwood, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Mustangs blew past the Indians 14-4 on Friday. The Mustangs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three contests by ten runs or more this season.
Taylor Britt was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Britt was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing three bases while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
In other pitching news, Chris Smith looked comfortable as he pitched four innings while giving up three earned runs off only two hits.
Back at the plate, Western Hills got a massive performance out of Myles Pittman, who scored three runs and stole four bases while going 2-for-3. Peyton Schnitzler was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing five bases while going 2-for-3.
Western Hills always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .543. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .514 or higher in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Clark Montessori duked it out with Miami Valley Christian Academy on Thursday. The Cougars took a 10-7 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Lions. The Cougars have struggled against the Lions recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive lost meeting.
Like Western Hills, Clark Montessori also got a great game from a two-way player: Calvin Acosta. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Acosta was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Acosta wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Ethan Ernst, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one RBI. Another was Chase Williams, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Clark Montessori's defeat dropped their record down to 2-4. As for Western Hills, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Clark Montessori's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Western Hills has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9 hits per game. It's a different story for Clark Montessori, though, as they've been averaging 9 hits. Given Western Hills' sizable advantage in that area, the Cougars will need to find a way to close that gap.
Western Hills took their victory against Clark Montessori when the teams last played back in May of 2016 by a conclusive 11-0 score. Will the Mustangs repeat their success, or do the Cougars have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
