Itasca is preparing for their first district matchup of the season on Friday. They will be playing at home against the Italy Gladiators at 7:00 p.m. Itasca is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 11.9 runs per game this season.
Itasca barely beat Blum the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Itasca was the clear victors by a 23-4 margin over Blum on Tuesday. Considering the Wampus Cats have won seven matches by more than seven runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
EJ Garcia looked comfortable as he tossed 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in six consecutive appearances.
Buddy Jackson
| 03/18/25 @ Blum | 4 |
| 03/05/25 vs Bruceville-Eddy | 3 |
| 04/23/24 @ Frost | 3 |
| 04/09/24 vs Italy | 3 |
| 04/05/24 @ Italy | 3 |
On the hitting side, Buddy Jackson was incredible, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with one home run, four runs, and two stolen bases. Those four runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Brayden Mears, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Italy was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They lost 15-9 to Hillsboro.
Brady Whitney was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Hunter Copeland was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Itasca pushed their record up to 7-2 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 12.5 runs. As for Italy, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-11.
Italy's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Itasca hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .364. It's a different story for Italy, though, as they've only averaged .246. Will they be able to contain Itasca's hitters?
Itasca took their victory against Italy in their previous meeting back in February by a conclusive 11-2. Does Itasca have another victory up their sleeve, or will Italy turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
