The Mater Dei Knights will head out to challenge the Belleville West Maroons at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Mater Dei is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.3 runs per game this season.
Mater Dei was handed a nine-run defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Tuesday. They had just enough and edged out Freeburg 2-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Knights have posted since April 16th.
Emma Diekemper
| 05/13/25 vs Freeburg | 7 |
| 05/10/25 @ Casey-Westfield | 1 |
| 05/10/25 vs Teutopolis | 4 |
| 05/03/25 @ Johnston City | 1 |
| 04/28/25 vs Centralia | 3 |
| + 12 more games |
Emma Diekemper made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out seven over seven innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in April of 2024. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last match, Belleville West made sure to put some runs up on the board against Alton on Tuesday. The Maroons were the clear victors by a 12-2 margin over the Redbirds. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Maroons' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Daijah Jackson was a standout: she got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Caleigh Dashner, who went 2-for-3 with four runs and three RBI.
Belleville West always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .516. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Alton only posted an OBP of .263.
Belleville West's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-13. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.8 runs over those games. As for Mater Dei, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-8-1 record this season.
Mater Dei's speedy runners might be the difference in Wednesday's contest. The Knights have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Belleville West, though, as they've been averaging only 1 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Mater Dei continue to outrun the ball?
Mater Dei came out on top in a nail-biter against Belleville West when the teams last played back in May of 2023, sneaking past 4-3. Will the Knights repeat their success, or do the Maroons have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
