The Fairmont Firebirds will challenge the Tippecanoe Red Devils at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Fairmont has struggled recently with seven losses in a row, while Tippecanoe will arrive with four straight wins.
On Wednesday, Fairmont didn't have quite enough to beat Troy and fell 8-7.
Skyler Slifer
| 05/21/25 @ Troy | 3 |
| 05/02/25 vs Springfield | 2 |
| 04/18/25 vs Centerville | 2 |
| 03/22/25 @ Chaminade Julienne Catholic | 2 |
| 03/14/25 @ Fairborn | 2 |
| + 12 more games |
Skyler Slifer made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with one home run and three runs. He has become a key player for Fairmont: the team is 4-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 9-15 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Dillon Johnson, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Tippecanoe). They never let Ponitz Career Tech get on the board and left with a 28-0 victory on Wednesday. Considering the Red Devils have won 16 matches by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Cayden McKinney and Landon Muhlenkamp were major factors no matter where they played. On the mound, McKinney struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Meanwhile, Muhlenkamp tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. McKinney has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in ten consecutive appearances. At the plate, McKinney went 1-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Muhlenkamp went a perfect 1-for-1 with two runs and two RBI. That's the most runs Muhlenkamp has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Preston Zumwalt, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. Bryce Eckert was another key player, going 1-for-2 with four RBI and two runs.
Tippecanoe 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 games.
Tippecanoe pushed their record up to 22-3 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Fairmont, their defeat dropped their record down to 13-16.
Fairmont beat Tippecanoe 5-0 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Will the Firebirds repeat their success, or do the Red Devils have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
