New Prairie and Mishawaka are an even 4-4 against one another since May of 2016, but likely not for long. The Cougars will head out on the road to face off against the Cavemen at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. New Prairie will be strutting in after a win while Mishawaka will be coming in after a defeat.
New Prairie is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victors by a 21-1 margin over South Bend Washington on Wednesday. Considering the Cougars have won ten matches by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Riley Masters
| 05/21/25 vs South Bend Washington | 3 |
| 05/12/25 vs Boone Grove | 2 |
| 04/25/25 @ Fairfield | 2 |
| 04/21/25 @ Michigan City | 6 |
Riley Masters was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. What's more, he posted three strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, New Prairie let Zak Henrich and Dylan Bishop run wild. Henrich went 1-for-3 with five RBI, two runs, and one triple, while Bishop went a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. New Prairie is undefeated when Bishop posts two or more runs, but 7-9 otherwise. Ryley Conley was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
New Prairie always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .795. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Mishawaka has relied on a stalwart pitchers averaging 3.63 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Thursday. They came up short against Warsaw, falling 10-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Cavemen have suffered since May 17, 2024.
Mishawaka saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Shawn Nowacki, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
The victory made it two in a row for New Prairie and bumps their season record up to 14-9. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.0 runs over those games. As for Mishawaka, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 15-9.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. New Prairie has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Mishawaka struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
New Prairie took their victory against Mishawaka when the teams last played back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 9-3 score. Will the Cougars repeat their success, or do the Cavemen have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
