vs
| 05/17/24 - Home | 3-9 L |
| 05/19/23 - Home | 3-1 W |
| 05/20/22 - Home | 3-9 L |
| 05/21/21 - Home | 4-2 W |
| 04/10/19 - Away | 5-1 W |
| + 3 more games |
Mishawaka and New Prairie are an even 4-4 against one another since May of 2016, but likely not for long. The Cavemen will welcome the Cougars at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Mishawaka is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.5 runs per game this season.
Mishawaka's usually-dominant pitching crew will be looking to make up for Thursday's struggle, when Warsaw hitters got past them. The Cavemen lost 10-4 to the Tigers on Thursday. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Cavemen have suffered since May 17, 2024.
Mishawaka saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Shawn Nowacki, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask New Prairie). Everything went their way against South Bend Washington on Wednesday as they made off with a 21-1 win. The Cougars haven't had any issues with the Panthers recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive victory against them.
Riley Masters made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. What's more, he posted three strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Zak Henrich and Dylan Bishop did most of the damage at the plate: Henrich went 1-for-3 with five RBI, two runs, and one triple, while Bishop went a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. Bishop has become a key player for New Prairie: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 7-9 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Ryley Conley, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
New Prairie kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 17 hits. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
New Prairie's win bumped their record up to 14-9. As for Mishawaka, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 15-9.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Mishawaka has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like New Prairie struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Mishawaka might still be hurting after the 9-3 defeat they got from New Prairie when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Can the Cavemen avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
