Kenton Ridge has gone a perfect 3-0 against West Liberty-Salem recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Saturday. The Cougars will head out to square off against the Tigers at 12:00 p.m. Kenton Ridge will be looking to extend their current seven-game winning streak.
Kenton Ridge's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They were the clear victors by a 10-0 margin over Tecumseh. Considering the Cougars have won seven matches by more than nine runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Jakob Groeschel
| 04/23/25 vs Tecumseh | 3 |
| 04/18/25 vs Shawnee | 2 |
| 04/16/25 @ Bellefontaine | 2 |
| 04/10/25 vs Urbana | 2 |
| 04/01/25 vs Springfield | 2 |
The team relied heavily on Jakob Groeschel, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and two doubles. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Zach Deel was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Meanwhile, West Liberty-Salem waltzed into their contest on Tuesday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 2-1 W against the Indians. That's two games straight that the Tigers have won by just one run.
Reese Oder spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on four hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Caleb Hershberger was excellent, going 1-for-2 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season.
Kenton Ridge's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-3. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.9 runs over those games. As for West Liberty-Salem, their win bumped their record up to 8-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Kenton Ridge has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like West Liberty-Salem struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Kenton Ridge was able to grind out a solid victory over West Liberty-Salem in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, winning 3-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cougars since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
