The Kokomo Wildkats will face off against the Richmond Red Devils at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Having struggled with three losses in a row, Kokomo turned things around against Lawrence Central on Tuesday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Bears 6-4.
The team relied heavily on Harry Blake, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one triple. That's the most stolen bases he has posted over his last 12 games. Another player making a difference was Landon Gibson, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two RBI.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Richmond, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Monday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Cambridge City Lincoln a 9-0 shutout on Thursday. The Red Devils haven't had any issues with the Golden Eagles recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.
Aiden McWhinney was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out nine over six innings pitched. McWhinney was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Tyrel Brown and Wyatt Kier did most of the damage at the plate: Brown went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double, while Kier went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. Zander Juday was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.
Kokomo's win bumped their record up to 9-7. As for Richmond, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Kokomo has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Richmond struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Kokomo was able to grind out a solid victory over Richmond in their previous meeting last Monday, winning 3-0. Will the Wildkats repeat their success, or do the Red Devils have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
