The Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond Knights will challenge the Iroquois West Raiders at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 14-run drubbing they dealt Cerro Gordo/Bement on Thursday. The Knights blew past the Broncos 17-3. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since May 6, 2019, but that streak is no more.
Maxton Boddy
| 05/15/25 @ Cerro Gordo/Bement | 4 |
| 04/11/25 vs Blue Ridge | 2 |
| 03/28/25 @ Central A & M | 2 |
| 03/20/25 @ Altamont | 2 |
| 04/18/24 @ Heritage | 2 |
Maxton Boddy made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. He is becoming a predictor of Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond's success: when he allows at most one earned run the team is 5-1 (and 8-9 when he doesn't). Boddy was even better at the plate, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with four runs, three RBI, and one stolen base. Those four runs gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Marcus Otto and Will Hilligoss did most of the damage at the plate: Otto went 3-for-4 with one home run, four runs, and two RBI, while Hilligoss went 2-for-5 with one home run and seven RBI. Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond is undefeated when Otto posts two or more runs, but 4-10 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Logan Schrock, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .548. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Iroquois West not only won on Wednesday, but they posted their biggest win since April 29th (when they won 10-0). Everything went their way against Beecher as they made off with a 9-2 victory. With that win, the Raiders brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Rylan Pheifer was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. Mario Andrade was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs.
Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 13-10. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Iroquois West, their victory bumped their record up to 11-14.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Iroquois West struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
