Oakwood is 3-0 against Iroquois West since April of 2022, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Monday. The Oakwood Comets will be playing at home against the Iroquois West Raiders at 4:30 p.m. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Tuesday, Oakwood earned a 7-4 win over Covington. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Oakwood.
Dustin Hughes spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on eight hits.
On the hitting side, Oakwood let Derek Drews and Brody Taflinger loose on the outfield. Drews scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances, while Taflinger scored a run and stole two bases. Bryson Marcinko was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Iroquois West, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Gardner-South Wilmington on Wednesday and snuck past 10-9.
Dean Clendenen was a standout: he scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Mario Andrade, who scored two runs while going 4-for-4.
Oakwood has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 15-14 record this season. As for Iroquois West, their victory bumped their record up to 7-13.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Oakwood has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Iroquois West struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Oakwood took their win against Iroquois West in their previous meeting last Tuesday by a conclusive 18-5. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Iroquois West's Julian Melgoza, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with a home run, two stolen bases, and three RBI. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Oakwood still be able to contain Melgoza? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
