Stark County is 1-8 against Monmouth United since May of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Rebels will square off against the Red Storm at 4:30 p.m. Stark County has given up an average of 8.2 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Stark County is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victors by a 24-13 margin over Bushnell-Prairie City on Tuesday. The Rebels not only won on Tuesday, but they posted their biggest win since May 8, 2024.
Keagan Sparks
| 04/15/25 @ Bushnell-Prairie City | 3 |
| 04/07/25 vs Putnam County | 0 |
| 03/29/25 @ Kewanee | 1 |
| 03/17/25 @ Knoxville | 4 |
Keagan Sparks looked comfortable as he pitched 3.2 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 March.
At the plate, Wyatt Snider was incredible, scoring four runs and stealing four bases while going 4-for-4. Those four stolen bases gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Khaiden Turnbull, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4.
Stark County kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 18 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 3.9 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 9.2.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Monmouth United, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They never let Princeville get on the board and left with a 9-0 win on Tuesday. The Red Storm might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five matches by nine runs or more this season.
Monmouth United got a massive performance out of Ian Leffler, who went 2-for-4 with five RBI, two runs, and one double. Another player making a difference was Nolan Jenks, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three RBI and two doubles.
Monmouth United is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last 11 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.9 runs on average over those games. As for Stark County, their win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 5-8.
Stark County skirted past Monmouth United 5-3 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Rebels since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
