The Warsaw Tigers will venture away from home to square off against the Huntington North Vikings at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Warsaw will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each game than the last.
Warsaw is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Tippecanoe Valley 21-0 on Wednesday. The Tigers haven't had any issues with the Vikings recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Mason O'Malley made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. O'Malley was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. He also got a hit, marking his first of the season.
In other pitching news, Reed Nelson looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks any time he's pitched this season.
Back at the plate, Brandt Martin was incredible, going 3-for-4 with six RBI and one run. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Wyatt Stapleton was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-5.
Warsaw always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .644. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Tippecanoe Valley only posted an OBP of .188.
Meanwhile, Huntington North gave up the first runs on Wednesday, but they didn't let that get them down. They walked away with a 9-4 win over Peru. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Vikings as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Brayden Gearhart spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered four earned runs on four hits and racked up seven Ks.
On the hitting side, Tyler Williams and Marcus Linker did most of the damage at the plate: Williams scored three runs while going 4-for-4, while Linker went 2-for-3 with one home run and two runs. Huntington North is 2-1 when Williams posts two or more runs, but 2-3 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Max Robrock, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI and one double.
Warsaw pushed their record up to 3-1 with the win, which was their 11th straight on the road dating back to last season. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Huntington North, the win got them back to even at 4-4.
Warsaw came out on top in a nail-biter against Huntington North in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, sneaking past 4-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Tigers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
