The Pewamo-Westphalia Pirates will face off against the Ionia Bulldogs at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Pewamo-Westphalia's hitters will try to repeat the strong performance they gave on Thursday, when they got past Fowler's usually-dominant pitching crew. The Pirates put the hurt on the Eagles with a sharp 14-1 victory. With that win, the Pirates brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
The team relied heavily on Carter Wirth, who went 1-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April. Brayton Thelen was another key player, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with three RBI, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, Ionia waltzed into their matchup on Thursday with four straight wins... but they left with five. They were the clear victors by a 9-3 margin over the Saxons.
Parker Seidelman made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Jaxon Palmer was excellent, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base. Nolan Lundstrom also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen bases of the season.
Ionia always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .621. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Ionia pushed their record up to 10-5 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.0 runs over those games. As for Pewamo-Westphalia, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-11 record this season.
Pewamo-Westphalia beat Ionia 12-7 when the teams last played back in April of 2023. Will the Pirates repeat their success, or do the Bulldogs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.