Mendota extended their losing streak to three on Tuesday, dropping their season record down to 8-16-1 in the process. They lost 10-4 to the Sandwich Indians. The Trojans were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Indians apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in May of 2024.
As for Sandwich, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-14 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games.
For Sandwich's part, Nick Michalek made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched six innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. Michalek was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Sandwich's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 10-14 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Griffin Somlock, who got on base in all five of his plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. What's more, he posted three hits, the most he's had over his last eight contests. The team also got some help courtesy of Anthony Wade, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs.
Mendota and Sandwich could both be facing uphill battles in their next games considering their disadvantage in the MaxPreps Illinois Rankings. The Trojans (ranked 454th) will meet Illinois Valley Central (ranked 120th) at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, Sandwich will face off against Kaneland at 4:30 p.m. on Friday with a big rank disadvantage (362 vs. 78).
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
