Grant Park hasn't had much luck against Peotone recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Dragons will be playing in front of their home fans against the Blue Devils at 4:30 p.m. Grant Park is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.2 runs per game this season.
The home team had come away the winner the last five times Grant Park and Momence had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. The Dragons put the hurt on the Momence Athletics with a sharp 15-5 win on Thursday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Dragons considering their two-run performance the matchup before.
Dean Malkowski
| 04/23/26 @ Momence | 11 |
| 04/29/25 vs Gardner-South Wilmington | 6 |
| 04/17/26 @ Kankakee | 5 |
| 04/01/25 vs Beecher | 3 |
| 04/09/26 vs Clifton Central | 2 |
Dean Malkowski made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over five innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits (and only one walk). Those 11 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with four runs, two stolen bases, and four RBI. Grant Park is 4-1 when Malkowski posts two or more runs, but 1-7 otherwise.
In other batting news, Aiden Overbeek was incredible, going 4-for-5 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Those four hits gave him a new career-high. Ian Hamann was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI.
Grant Park was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .441. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Peotone lost 11-1 to Westmont on Thursday.
Peotone saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Lincoln Tierney, who went 1-for-2 with one RBI.
Peotone's defeat dropped their record down to 2-13. As for Grant Park, their victory bumped their record up to 5-8.
Peotone's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Grant Park hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .314. It's a different story for Peotone, though, as they've only averaged .177. Will they be able to contain Grant Park's hitters?
Grant Park suffered a grim 16-0 defeat to Peotone in their previous meeting back in April of 2025. Will the Dragons have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
