The Southwestern Spartans will face off against the Waldron Mohawks at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Southwestern barely beat South Decatur the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Spartans were the clear victors by an 11-2 margin over the Cougars on Friday. The Spartans not only won on Friday, but they posted their biggest win since May 4, 2024.
James Oliver
| 04/11/25 @ South Decatur | 9 |
| 04/08/25 vs Jac-Cen-Del | 3 |
| 05/27/24 vs South Decatur | 5 |
| 05/16/24 @ Indianapolis Arsenal Technical | 6 |
| 05/09/24 @ North Decatur | 6 |
| 05/04/24 @ Waldron | 14 |
James Oliver made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over seven innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in May of 2024. He was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Landon Drake, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4. That's the most runs he has posted since back in May of 2024. Clayton Randolph was another key player, going 1-for-4 with three RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Waldron). They put the hurt on Crothersville with a sharp 21-2 win on Tuesday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Mohawks.
Like Southwestern, Waldron also got a great game from a two-way player: Jackson Kuhn. He pitched three innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Kuhn was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. That triple was his first of the season.
In other batting news, Troy Atwood was a standout: he went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. He also put up a triple, which was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Hunter Dodson, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Waldron was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .586. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive matches.
Southwestern now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Waldron, the victory got them back to even at 2-2.
Southwestern took their win against Waldron when the teams last played back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 12-1 score. Will the Spartans repeat their success, or do the Mohawks have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
