Ionia is on a five-game streak of home wins, while Pewamo-Westphalia is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Bulldogs will host the Pirates at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Thursday, Ionia got the win against Hastings by a conclusive 9-3. The Bulldogs haven't had any issues with the Saxons recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive win against them.
Parker Seidelman made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable: 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. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jaxon Palmer, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Nolan Lundstrom, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs.
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.
Meanwhile, Pewamo-Westphalia's hitters rose to the challenge against an Eagles pitching crew that boasted an average of only 4.07 runs allowed on Thursday. The Pirates were the clear victors by a 14-1 margin over Fowler. With that victory, the Pirates brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Carter Wirth was incredible, going 1-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That home run was his first of the season. Brayton Thelen was another key player, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with three RBI, one run, and one double.
Pewamo-Westphalia is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight games. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-11 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.1 runs on average over those games. As for Ionia, their victory bumped their record up to 10-5.
Ionia came up short against Pewamo-Westphalia in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, falling 12-7. Can the Bulldogs avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
