The Phillips Bears will venture away from home to challenge the Waterloo Cougars at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Phillips has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the contest with six straight losses, while Waterloo will come in with five straight victories.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Phillips and Brilliant meet (three straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Friday. The Bears lost 18-11 to the Tigers.
Tiden Butler
| 04/03/26 vs Brilliant | 3 |
| 03/10/26 @ Brilliant | 3 |
| 03/02/26 @ Cherokee | 3 |
Tiden Butler and Bentley Benefield stepped up to the plate in a big way. Butler went a perfect 4-for-4 with five stolen bases, three runs, and one double, while Benefield got on base in all six of his plate appearances with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI. Butler has become a key player for Phillips: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 1-8 otherwise. Beau Heatherly also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, Waterloo beat Cherokee 9-6 on Tuesday.
Jacob Hart was excellent, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Levi Jones was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one run and one double.
Phillips' defeat dropped their record down to 3-9. As for Waterloo, their win bumped their record up to 10-6.
Saturday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Phillips has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .456. However, it's not like Waterloo struggles in that department as they've averaged .487. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
