Irish
| 05/15/25 @ Limestone | 2 |
| 05/12/25 @ Peoria | 15 |
| 05/12/25 @ Peoria | 17 |
| 05/09/25 @ Normal West | 3 |
| 05/08/25 vs Lincoln | 7 |
| + 24 more games |
The Peoria Notre Dame Irish will challenge the Dunlap Eagles at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Peoria Notre Dame is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.8 runs per game this season.
Peoria Notre Dame is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 15 runs on Monday, they were much more limited against Limestone on Thursday. They came up short against the Rockets, falling 10-2. The defeat continues a trend for the Irish in their meetings with the Rockets: they've now lost four in a row.
Joe Culp made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with one triple and one run. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season.
Meanwhile, Dunlap came tearing into Friday's match with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.8 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Golden Warriors 10-3. The Eagles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 16 contests by six runs or more this season.
Eli Michanicou was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out eight over four innings pitched. Those eight strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with one stolen base and one double.
In other pitching news, Christian Ferrari looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. What's more, he posted two strikeouts, the most he's had since back in May of 2024.
Back at the plate, Gavin Gibbs was a standout: he went 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Isaac Babbs, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three RBI, two runs, and one double.
Dunlap always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .529. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Sterling only posted an OBP of .364.
Dunlap's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 22-7. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.8 runs over those games. As for Peoria Notre Dame, their loss dropped their record down to 13-16.
Saturday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Peoria Notre Dame hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .328. However, it's not like Dunlap struggles in that department as they've averaged .344. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Peoria Notre Dame beat Dunlap 6-3 when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Will the Irish repeat their success, or do the Eagles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
