The Wood Memorial Trojans will head out on the road to challenge the Perry Central Commodores at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Wood Memorial will roll into the game after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up two runs last Thursday, then bounced right back against Shoals on Monday. The Trojans blew past the Jug Rox 10-0. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Trojans' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Houston Schoonover
| 04/18/25 vs Dugger Union | 3 |
| 04/28/25 vs Shoals | 2 |
| 04/09/25 vs South Knox | 2 |
| 04/15/25 @ Loogootee | 1 |
| 04/08/25 vs Vincennes Rivet | 1 |
Houston Schoonover made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out nine over four innings pitched. Schoonover was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Wood Memorial's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 0-6 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Evan Bartley, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. Those stolen bases marked the first that he has snagged this season. Another player making a difference was Talan Strickland, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Perry Central sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-1 win over Mt. Vernon on Thursday.
Ethan Ball spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on two hits and racked up six Ks.
At the plate, Perry Central's victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Owen Hubert, who went 1-for-2 with one run.
Wood Memorial pushed their record up to 3-6 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Perry Central, the win got them back to even at 7-7.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Wood Memorial has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Perry Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Wood Memorial couldn't quite finish off Perry Central in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 and fell 5-3. Can the Trojans avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
