The Walled Lake Western Warriors will venture away from home to square off against the Avondale Yellowjackets at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Avondale took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Walled Lake Western, who comes in off a win.
Having struggled with three losses in a row, Walled Lake Western turned things around against South Lyon East on Wednesday. They walked away with a 5-2 victory over the Cougars. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last three times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Lucas Hoffmeyer spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on two hits and racked up six Ks. He has become a key player for Walled Lake Western: the team is 3-1 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 9-13-2 otherwise.
Mickey Gross
| 04/28/25 @ Mott | 3 |
| 04/09/25 vs Mott | 3 |
| 04/09/25 vs Mott | 3 |
| 05/14/25 vs South Lyon East | 2 |
| 04/22/25 @ Walled Lake Central | 2 |
| + 5 more games |
At the plate, Walled Lake Western let Mickey Gross and Dallas Sauve run wild. Gross went 3-for-4 with two runs, while Sauve went 3-for-4 with two doubles. Gross is becoming a predictor of Walled Lake Western's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 6-14-2 when he doesn't). Vincent Roach also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Walled Lake Western was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .406. The last time their batting average was this high was back in April.
Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Avondale's good fortune finally ran out on Thursday. They came up short against Kettering, falling 14-4.
Nathan Tacheny was cooking despite his team's loss, earning two runs and two stolen bases. Gibson Arthur was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one run and one double.
Walled Lake Western's win bumped their record up to 12-14-2. As for Avondale, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-15.
Walled Lake Western took their victory against Avondale in their previous matchup back in April by a conclusive 12-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Warriors since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
