West Central is 1-9 against Winamac since May of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Trojans will host the Warriors at 5:00 p.m. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
West Central took a loss when they played away from home last Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They blew past Culver Community 9-3. The victory continues a trend for the Trojans in their matchups with the Cavaliers: they've now won three in a row.
Christian Hughes spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on five hits and racked up 13 Ks.
Connor Huber
| 04/28/25 vs Caston | 5 |
| 05/15/25 vs Culver Community | 4 |
| 04/29/25 vs North Newton | 4 |
| 05/10/25 @ Pioneer | 3 |
| 05/01/25 @ North Newton | 3 |
| + 7 more games |
On the hitting side, Connor Huber was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with three stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. He is becoming a predictor of West Central's success: when he posts at least three hits the team is 4-2 (and 5-8 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Tate Leman, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: West Central kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They are 4-2 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, Winamac was not the first on the board on Saturday, but they got there more often. They were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over Pioneer. Considering the Warriors have won eight contests by more than five runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Cody Wheeler and Petyon Attinger did most of the damage at the plate: Wheeler got on base in all three of his plate appearances with two runs and one RBI, while Attinger went 1-for-2 with three RBI and one run. That's the most RBI Attinger has posted since back in April. Will Malchow was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
The win made it two in a row for Winamac and bumps their season record up to 14-10. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.0 runs over those games. As for West Central, their win bumped their record up to 9-10.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. West Central has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Winamac struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
West Central took their victory against Winamac in their previous matchup back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 10-0 score. Will the Trojans repeat their success, or do the Warriors have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
