Arcola and Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond are an even 4-4 against one another since April of 2017, but likely not for long. The Purple Riders are taking a road trip to square off against the Knights at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Arcola is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.
Arcola's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Cerro Gordo/Bement as they made off with a 15-0 win. The Purple Riders might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 13 contests by six runs or more this season.
Brody Drake
| 04/30/25 vs Cerro Gordo/Bement | 2 |
| 04/29/25 vs Neoga | 1 |
| 04/24/25 @ Tri-County [Kansas/Shiloh/Oakland] | 1 |
| 04/22/25 @ Arthur-Okaw Christian | 1 |
| 04/17/25 @ Argenta-Oreana | 1 |
Brody Drake made a splash no matter where he played. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in five consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and one run. Those two RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Brevyn Whisman was a standout: he got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one double. Caiden Helmuth also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Arcola was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .455. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .321 or higher in three consecutive games.
Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond came out on top against St. Thomas More on Tuesday thanks in part to the team's impressive four-run fifth inning. The Knights walked away with an 8-4 victory over the Sabers. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Knights.
Like Arcola, Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond also got a great game from a two-way player: Calahan Binion. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over five innings pitched. Binion was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with three RBI and one run.
In other batting news, Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond got a big performance out of Lucas Butcher, who went 2-for-3 with two doubles and one RBI. John Williams was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
Arcola's win was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 15-0. The team's perfect season has a lot to do with their hitting performance: the team's won by an average of 10.9 runs thus far. As for Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond, their record now sits at 11-9.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Arcola has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Arcola took their victory against Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 10-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Purple Riders since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
