The Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Falcons will take on the Herscher Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley will come into the matchup with an undefeated record on the line.
Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley took a seven-run loss the last time they faced off against Tuscola, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley skirted past Tuscola 4-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Falcons have posted since April 10, 2024.
Mallory Rosendahl
| 03/27/25 vs Tuscola | 12 |
| 03/26/25 vs Watseka | 6 |
| 03/22/25 @ Rantoul | 7 |
Mallory Rosendahl spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on three hits and racked up 12 Ks. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 6.2 strikeouts per game.
On the hitting side, Kolbie Eichelberger was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That home run marked the first that she launched this season.
Meanwhile, Herscher made easy work of Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin on Thursday and carried off a 12-6 win.
Addy Whitaker and RyLyn Adams did most of the damage at the plate: Whitaker scored three runs while going 5-for-5, while Adams scored three runs and stole a base while going 4-for-4. That's the most hits Adams has posted since back in March of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Keira Ahramovich, who went 1-for-5 with one home run and two RBI.
Herscher always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .561. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin only posted an OBP of .361.
Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley pushed their record up to 4-0 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for Herscher, their victory bumped their record up to 4-1.
Herscher's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Herscher, though, as they've been averaging only 3.6 strikeouts. Will Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley keep running through batters, or will Herscher buck the trend?
Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley suffered a grim 14-1 defeat to Herscher when the teams last played back in March of 2023. Can Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
