Zion-Benton won the last time they faced Waukegan and things went their way on Friday too. The Zee-Bees blew past the Bulldogs 10-1. Considering the Zee-Bees' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Andrew Neargarder
| 04/25/25 @ Waukegan | 14 |
| 03/26/25 vs Elgin | 8 |
| 04/08/25 vs Mundelein | 5 |
| 03/12/24 @ Grayslake North | 5 |
| 03/21/25 @ Wheeling | 4 |
Andrew Neargarder was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 14 over six innings pitched. Those 14 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
In other pitching news, Sam Villarreal looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Andrew Mitchell, who went 3-for-4 with three stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. Those three stolen bases gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Carl Harmon III, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three RBI.
Zion-Benton always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .545. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
The win snapped Zion-Benton's losing streak at three games and leaves them with a 4-14 record. As for Waukegan, they are on a 14-game losing streak (dating back to last season) that has dropped them down to 0-12.
Zion-Benton has already played their next contest, a 10-8 victory against Niles North on the 26th. As for Waukegan, they will venture away from home to square off against Libertyville at 4:45 p.m. on Monday. The Bulldogs' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Wildcats have averaged an impressive 7.4 runs per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
