The River Forest Ingots will head out on the road to challenge the Hammond Central Wolves at 4:45 p.m. on Friday. River Forest is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.7 runs per game this season.
River Forest can now show off six landslide victories after their most recent game on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Calumet New Tech as River Forest made off with a 13-2 victory. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for River Forest considering their one-run performance the match before.
Kaleb Short made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and only one hit while striking out 13 over five innings pitched. Short has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances. Short was also big at the plate, going 3-for-3 with six RBI, four runs, and a stolen base.
In other batting news, Sebastian Collazo IV was incredible, going 1-for-3 with a home run, a stolen base, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Walter Jaime, who scored four runs while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Hammond Central was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They lost 14-0 to Hobart.
River Forest's win bumped their record up to 8-6. As for Hammond Central, their loss dropped their record down to 4-7.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. River Forest has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Hammond Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.1. The only question left is which team can snag more.
River Forest suffered a grim 16-10 defeat to Hammond Central in their previous matchup back in May of 2023. Thankfully for River Forest, Joseph Merrick (who didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 13 over seven innings pitched) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
