The Tri-Township Tigers will venture away from home to challenge the River Forest Ingots at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Tri-Township has struggled recently with seven losses in a row, while River Forest will arrive with seven straight wins.
Tri-Township managed to slip by Boone Grove the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. The Tigers came up short against the Wolves on Friday, falling 12-0.
Meanwhile, River Forest never let their opponents score on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Westville as they made off with a 10-0 victory. The result was nothing new for the Ingots, who have now won ten matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Manny Mendoza made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over six innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in two of his three plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run.
In other batting news, Brandon Fergerson was a standout: he went 2-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played. Another player making a difference was Sebastian Collazo IV, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.
River Forest was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .391. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .391 or higher in three consecutive contests.
River Forest pushed their record up to 14-6 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs over those games. As for Tri-Township, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-10.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Tri-Township has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.6 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like River Forest struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
