The Kewanee Boilermakers will take on the Orion Chargers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Kewanee and Farmington meet (four straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Tuesday. The Boilermakers fell just short of the Farmers by a score of 11-10.
Remy Hicks put in work while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up a single hit in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one run.
In other batting news, Rylee Blades and Kalleigh Gale did some serious damage despite the final result: Blades got on base in four of her five plate appearances with one home run, four RBI, and two runs, while Gale went 4-for-5 with four runs, two doubles, and one triple. Gale continues to improve, besting her previous run total in each of the last three games she's played. Kieryn Abernathy was another key player, going 4-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Orion had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 13 runs) and they went ahead and made it six on Thursday. They never let the Titans get on the board and left with a 15-0 win. The Chargers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five matchups by 12 runs or more this season.
Like Kewanee, Orion also got a great game from a two-way player: Lainey Kunert. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over five innings pitched. What's more, Kunert posted four strikeouts, the most she's had since back in March. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs.
In other batting news, Orion let Kadence Hammer and Claire Haars run wild. Hammer went 2-for-4 with four RBI, one run, and one double, while Haars went 3-for-4 with four runs and one RBI. Those three hits gave Haars a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Khloe Nelson, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Orion's victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-8. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 17.0 runs over those games. As for Kewanee, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-6.
Everything went Kewanee's way against Orion in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, as Kewanee made off with an 11-5 victory. Will the Boilermakers repeat their success, or do the Chargers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
