Gillespie is 8-2 against Hillsboro since May of 2018 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Wednesday. The Miners will be playing at home against the Hiltoppers at 4:30 p.m. The last four games Gillespie has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
On Tuesday, Gillespie narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Southwestern 4-2.
Luke Schuckenbrock
| 04/24/25 @ Civic Memorial | 3 |
| 04/17/25 vs Carlinville | 3 |
| 03/19/25 @ Jersey | 3 |
| 05/13/25 @ Southwestern | 2 |
| 04/22/25 @ Carlinville | 2 |
| + 9 more games |
Luke Schuckenbrock was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and two runs. He is becoming a predictor of Gillespie's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 5-8 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Jack Kaylor, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Hillsboro had to endure a five-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They had just enough and edged out Litchfield 2-1 on Tuesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Hiltoppers have posted against the Purple Panthers since May 10, 2022.
Nathan Matoush spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on one hit and racked up 16 Ks. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 5.1 strikeouts per game.
On the hitting side, Hillsboro saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Clayton Rufus, who went 1-for-2 with one run.
Gillespie pushed their record up to 14-8 with the victory, which was their sixth straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Hillsboro, their victory bumped their record up to 3-17.
Everything went Gillespie's way against Hillsboro when the teams last played back in May of 2024, as Gillespie made off with a 10-0 win. Will the Miners repeat their success, or do the Hiltoppers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
