The Tri-County Cavaliers will head out to challenge the West Lafayette Red Devils at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Tri-County's pitching crew has only allowed 3.9 runs per game this season, so West Lafayette's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Tri-County is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering North Newton just ended the team's 15-game winning streak on Tuesday. They lost 10-0 to the Spartans. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Cavaliers, who until this match were averaging 3.94 runs allowed.
Meanwhile, West Lafayette hadn't done well against Delphi Community recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. The Red Devils walked away with a 14-9 win over the Oracles. The high-scoring effort was just what the Red Devils needed considering they were shut out in their previous contest.
Megan Creech was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up just one earned run but no hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 12 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two runs. That's the most hits she has posted since back in May of 2024.
In other batting news, Eleanor Hurt was incredible, firing off two home runs, seven RBI, and three runs while going 4-for-5. Those seven RBI gave her a new career-high.
West Lafayette kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. They are a perfect 8-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
West Lafayette has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games. That's provided a massive bump to their 12-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.8 runs over those games. As for Tri-County, their defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 4-1 and their overall record down to 16-2.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Wednesday. Tri-County hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like West Lafayette struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.5 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Tri-County came out on top in a nail-biter against West Lafayette when the teams last played back in May of 2024, sneaking past 7-6. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cavaliers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
