Whitko and Rochester are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2015, but likely not for long. The Whitko Wildcats will be playing in front of their home fans against the Rochester Zebras at 5:00 p.m. on Monday.
Last Friday, it was a hard-fought contest, but Whitko had to settle for a 7-6 loss against Columbia City.
Isaiah Cripe put in work while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits. Cripe was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
In other batting news, Easton Grable was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. Breyden Kirkdorffer was another key contributor, going 3-for-4 with two RBI.
Meanwhile, Rochester had just enough and edged Winamac out 7-6 on Saturday.
Brady Beck was excellent, scoring a run while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Tanner Reinartz, who scored two runs and stole a base.
Whitko's defeat dropped their record down to 10-8-2. As for Rochester, their victory bumped their record up to 13-8.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Whitko has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Rochester struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.8. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Whitko came up short against Rochester when the teams last played back in April of 2023, falling 6-1. Thankfully for Whitko, Aaron Huffman (who struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
