Softball Game Preview: East Alton-Wood River Oilers vs. Southwestern Piasa Birds

The East Alton-Wood River Oilers are taking a road trip to challenge the Southwestern Piasa Birds at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. East Alton-Wood River will be strutting in after a victory while Southwestern will be coming in after a loss.

Having struggled with 11 defeats in a row, East Alton-Wood River turned things around against Litchfield on Wednesday. They had just enough and edged out the Purple Panthers 4-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Oilers have posted since March 25th.

Ellie Beachum

Batters Struck Out

05/07/25 vs Litchfield	12
05/06/25 vs Breese Central	9
05/05/25 vs Freeburg	8
05/03/25 @ Alton	5
04/29/25 @ Freeburg	7

Ellie Beachum spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on nine hits and racked up 12 Ks. She has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Lily Tretter and Jayde Kassler did most of the damage at the plate: Tretter went 1-for-2 with two RBI and one run, while Kassler went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and one RBI. That's the most RBI Tretter has posted since back in April.

Meanwhile, Southwestern unfortunately witnessed the end of their 12-game winning streak on Monday. They took a 4-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of Carlinville.

East Alton-Wood River's victory bumped their record up to 9-12. As for Southwestern, their loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 6-1 and their overall record down to 14-4-1.

East Alton-Wood River came up short against Southwestern when the teams last played back in May of 2023, falling 13-8. Can the Oilers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.