Baseball Game Preview: Mt. Pulaski Hilltoppers vs. Illini Bluffs Tigers

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Previous Games

05/02/24 - Away	3-0 W
04/29/23 - Home	6-1 W
04/21/22 - Away	2-0 W
04/22/21 - Home	13-3 W
04/19/18 - Away	7-11 L
+ 3 more games

Mt. Pulaski and Illini Bluffs are an even 4-4 against one another since April of 2015, but likely not for long. The Hilltoppers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Mt. Pulaski is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Heyworth just ended the team's ten-game winning streak on Tuesday. They fell just short of the Hornets by a score of 4-2. The Hilltoppers were red-hot at the plate heading into the contest (they scored no less than ten runs in the four games prior), but the Hornets' pitchers proved too tough.

Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last match, Illini Bluffs made sure to put some runs up on the board against Knoxville on Wednesday. The Tigers were the clear victors by a 14-4 margin over the Blue Bullets. Considering the Tigers' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.

Illini Bluffs got a massive performance out of Drew Dunn, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Those three RBI gave Dunn a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Easton Snyder, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.

Illini Bluffs was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .393. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.

Illini Bluffs pushed their record up to 8-4 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of four runs across that stretch. As for Mt. Pulaski, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-3.

Mt. Pulaski beat Illini Bluffs 3-0 in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Do the Hilltoppers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Tigers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.