New Prairie is 6-0 against Culver Academies since May of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The New Prairie Cougars will be staying on the road to face off against the Culver Academies Eagles at 7:30 p.m. New Prairie will be hoping to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each match than the last.
New Prairie is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Indiana's top teams: Chesterton, who was ranked 20th in their home state at the time (New Prairie was ranked 14th). New Prairie skirted past Chesterton 12-11. New Prairie's win was all the more impressive since Chesterton was averaging only 2.6 runs allowed on the season.
The team relied heavily on Brody Traxler, who scored three runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Beau Kmiecik, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, it can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Culver Academies had no problem doing just that on Wednesday. They came out on top against the Falcons by a score of 7-3.
Ty Rakan and Max Grundberg were a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Rakan struck out six batters over 5.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. Meanwhile, Grundberg tossed 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. At the plate, Rakan scored two runs while going 2-for-3, while Grundberg went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI.
In other batting news, Preston Jessen was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Foster Stockton, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a double.
New Prairie is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 21-5 record this season. As for Culver Academies, their victory bumped their record up to 16-6.
Thursday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. New Prairie has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .458. However, it's not like Culver Academies struggles in that department as they've averaged .486. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
New Prairie took their win against Culver Academies when the teams last played back in April by a conclusive 11-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for New Prairie since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
