The Lockport Porters will take on the Bradley-Bourbonnais Boilermakers at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Lockport 2.2, Bradley-Bourbonnais 3.6) so any runs scored will be well earned.
While Lockport's victory against Naperville Central wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Porters narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past the Redhawks 3-1. The Porters haven't had any issues with the Redhawks recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Kelcie McGraw made a big impact no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 15 over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 16 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one double and one RBI.
McGraw wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Mikayla Cvitanovich, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one RBI. That's the most hits Cvitanovich has posted since back in March.
The scorekeeper got an easy start on Wednesday as neither Bradley-Bourbonnais nor Oak Forest made it on the board until the fifth inning. The Boilermakers fell just short of the Bengals by a score of 4-2. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, the Boilermakers couldn't push the score so high this time.
Like Lockport, Bradley-Bourbonnais also got a great game from a two-way player: Abbie Hofbauer. On the mound, she pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. Hofbauer was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one double.
Lockport pushed their record up to 15-9 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.2 runs over those games. As for Bradley-Bourbonnais, their loss dropped their record down to 11-8.
Monday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Lockport hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .314. However, it's not like Bradley-Bourbonnais struggles in that department as they've averaged .321. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Lockport came up short against Bradley-Bourbonnais in their previous matchup back in April, falling 5-0. Will the Porters have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
