The Whiting Oilers will head out on the road to take on the North Judson-San Pierre Bluejays at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Whiting has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the matchup with 13 straight losses, while North Judson-San Pierre will come in with three straight wins.
Whiting came up short against Hammond Morton on Thursday, falling 17-4.
Jaiden Nunez was cooking despite his team's loss, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs. Noah Cruz was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when North Judson-San Pierre and North White meet (four straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Friday. The Bluejays blew past the Vikings 17-5. Considering the Bluejays have won seven contests by more than nine runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Trey McGowen was a major factor no matter where he played. He struck out nine batters over 3.2 innings while giving up three earned runs but no hits. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April of 2024. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with four runs, one stolen base, and one double. North Judson-San Pierre is 7-1 when McGowen posts two or more runs, but 4-8 otherwise.
In other batting news, North Judson-San Pierre got a massive performance out of Ayson Harper, who went 3-for-4 with three stolen bases, four runs, and four RBI. Harper has become a key player for the Bluejays: the team is undefeated when he posts at least three RBI, but 8-9 otherwise. Caleb Ginder also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
North Judson-San Pierre kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 11 hits in three consecutive games.
Whiting's defeat dropped their record down to 1-15. As for North Judson-San Pierre, their record now sits at 11-9.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Whiting has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like North Judson-San Pierre struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.1 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Whiting might still be hurting after the 16-5 loss they got from North Judson-San Pierre in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Can the Oilers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
