Baseball Game Preview: Illini West Chargers vs. Rushville-Industry Rockets

Chargers

Runs

04/15/25 @ Rockridge	3
04/14/25 vs Astoria/VIT	10
04/12/25 vs Bishop McNamara	6
04/12/25 @ Pleasant Plains	3
04/10/25 vs Camp Point Central	15
+ 10 more games

Illini West has gone 8-2 against Rushville-Industry recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Chargers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Rockets at 2:00 p.m. Illini West is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.1 runs per game this season.

Last Tuesday, Illini West came up short against Rockridge and fell 6-3.

Illini West saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Aiden Hocker, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.

Meanwhile, Rushville-Industry hadn't done well against Beardstown recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. The Rockets came out on top in a nail-biter against the Tigers, sneaking past 4-3. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Rockets as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.

Illini West's defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 12-3. As for Rushville-Industry, their win bumped their record up to 5-6.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Illini West has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Rushville-Industry struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

Illini West came out on top in a nail-biter against Rushville-Industry in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, sneaking past 9-8. Do the Chargers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Rockets turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.