The Farina South Central Cougars are taking a road trip to take on the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Farina South Central is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.3 runs per game this season.
Farina South Central will roll into the game after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Wednesday, then bounced right back against Neoga on Thursday. The Cougars were the clear victors by a 10-0 margin over the Indians. The Cougars haven't had any issues with the Indians recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive win against them.
Farina South Central got a massive performance out of Kyra Swift, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That's the most RBI Swift has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Perci Reid, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.
Farina South Central was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Neoga only posted a batting average of .125.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Teutopolis, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They had just enough and edged out Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg 4-3 on Thursday.
Alyssa Tipton spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on seven hits and racked up 12 Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Malea Helmink, who went 2-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That triple marked the first that she has hit this season.
Teutopolis has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Farina South Central, they now have a winning record of 8-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Farina South Central has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Teutopolis struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 10.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Farina South Central was able to grind out a solid win over Teutopolis when the teams last played back in April of 2024, winning 9-6. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cougars since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
