The Sterling Golden Warriors are taking a road trip to square off against the Rock Island Rocks at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Sterling is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.8 runs per game this season.
Sterling had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the seven-run drubbing they dealt Quincy on Thursday. The Golden Warriors were the clear victors by a 9-2 margin over the Blue Devils. Considering the Golden Warriors have won six matches by more than six runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Lily Martinez
| 04/24/25 vs Quincy | 4 |
| 04/10/25 vs Galesburg | 3 |
| 03/25/25 vs Dixon | 3 |
| 03/20/25 vs Morrison | 3 |
| 04/13/24 vs Harvard | 3 |
Lily Martinez made a splash while hitting and pitching. She pitched seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off six hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Those four RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Kaity Taylor was incredible, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. That's the most hits she has posted since back in May of 2024. Rosie Cantu was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Sterling was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .382. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Quincy only posted a batting average of .214.
Meanwhile, Rock Island waltzed into their game on Thursday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They never let the Maroons get on the board and left with a 4-0 win.
Not much got past Maddie Carroll, who gave up just a hit and racked up 11 Ks to keep Moline off the board.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Ella DeJonghe, who went 1-for-2 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was AJ Lincoln, who got on base in two of her four plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
Sterling has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.2 runs over those games. As for Rock Island, their win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-6.
Sterling came out on top in a nail-biter against Rock Island when the teams last played on April 3rd, sneaking past 5-4. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Golden Warriors since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
