Rochester and Whitko are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2015, but likely not for long. The Rochester Zebras will be staying on the road on Monday to face off against the Whitko Wildcats at 5:00 p.m. Rochester is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.6 runs per game this season.
On Saturday, it was close, but Rochester sidestepped Winamac for a 7-6 victory.
The team relied heavily on Brady Beck, who scored a run while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Tanner Reinartz, who scored two runs and stole a base.
Meanwhile, it was a hard-fought game, but Whitko had to settle for a 7-6 defeat against Columbia City on Friday.
Isaiah Cripe put in work while hitting and pitching. He tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits. Cripe was also big at the plate, 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. Another player making a difference was Breyden Kirkdorffer, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI.
Rochester's win bumped their record up to 13-8. As for Whitko, their loss dropped their record down to 10-8-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Rochester has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Whitko struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Rochester beat Whitko 6-1 when the teams last played back in April of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for Rochester since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
