Illinois Valley Central is on a three-game streak of home wins, while Dunlap is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Grey Ghosts will host the Eagles at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Illinois Valley Central 3.2, Dunlap 2.6) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Illinois Valley Central's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Saturday. They came out on top against Monticello by a score of 4-0.
Gabe Perez
| 04/12/25 @ Monticello | 9 |
| 04/01/25 vs Eureka | 7 |
| 03/25/25 vs Limestone | 5 |
| 03/18/25 vs East Peoria | 7 |
Not much got past Gabe Perez, who gave up just three hits and racked up nine Ks to keep Monticello off the board. Perez has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Illinois Valley Central saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Noah Lusher, who went 1-for-3 with one home run. That home run was Lusher's first of the season.
Meanwhile, Dunlap gave up the first runs on Monday, but they didn't let that get them down. They walked away with an 11-6 win over Limestone. The victory continues a trend for the Eagles in their matchups with the Rockets: they've now won four in a row.
Davis Weeks was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing five bases while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances. What's more, he posted three hits, the most he's had since back in March. Christian Ferrari was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and three RBI.
Dunlap kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in six consecutive contests.
Illinois Valley Central has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-4 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Dunlap, their victory bumped their record up to 10-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Illinois Valley Central has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Dunlap struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Illinois Valley Central might still be hurting after the 11-2 defeat they got from Dunlap when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Will the Grey Ghosts 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.
