Winnebago baseball shuts out Alden-Hebron
By Trenten Scheidegger
The Winnebago Indians picked up their seventh victory of the 2025 baseball season when they took on the Alden-Hebron Green Giants on April 26. The Indians came into the matchup with an overall record of 6-14. Meanwhile, Alden-Hebron was just 4-10 themselves. Despite having just a two win difference, Winnebago looked like the much better team, last weekend.
It didn’t take long for the Indians to get the ball rolling. With Dax James on the mound, the Winnebago defense had a quick first inning. James struck out the first two batters he faced. After an error extended the inning, James picked off the runner at first to get out of trouble.
The Winnebago bats returned the favor to their pitcher in the bottom half. Cam Warden hit a lead off single to get things going. After back-to-back walks to Reed Schrank and Collin Bull, the Indians were in business. Alen Wishop drove in the game’s first run when he singled to the left side. Eventually, Bull would score on a wild pitch, and Grant Kelly drove in another run when he hit into a fielder’s choice. After an inning of play, Winnebago held a 3-0 lead.
Despite the hot start, things settled down after that. James remained impressive from the mound, but the Winnebago bats were unable to extend their lead. In the middle of the fourth, the game remained 3-0. That’s where the Indians blew things wide open.
The Indians combined for 12 runs in what was a nightmare inning for the Green Giants. Two balks, five errors, and two walks were only the some of the mistakes Alden-Hebron had in the inning. They also allowed seven hits in the inning, which allowed Winnebago to run up the score.
In just one inning, the Indians managed to extend their lead from 3-0 to 12-0. Not only did that ensure a 15-0 mercy rule victory, but it also meant the Indian pitchers threw a combined no-hitter. James tossed three innings with seven strikeouts, three walks, and no hits allowed. Kaden Springer came in after that, throwing one dominant inning where he struck out the side.
At the plate, the Winnebago bats combined for 11 hits. Wishop led the way offensively, going two for three with two runs scored and three runs batted in. Warden finished the day two for four with two runs scored and one RBI. James helped himself, going two for two with one run scored and two RBI. Schrank was one for three with one run scored and two RBI. Rundblade finished with four RBI in the victory.
The Indians face a stretch of road games now. On Thursday, May 1, Winnebago opens the new month with an away game against Rockford Lutheran. On Friday, May 2, they travel to play against South Beloit. Then on Monday, May 5, they hit the road to take on Genoa-Kingston. They don’t return home again until Tuesday, May 6, when they play host to Genoa-Kingston in their second matchup. All games have a start time of 4:30 p.m.