Softball Game Preview: Carterville Lions vs. North Boone Vikings

The Carterville Lions will face off against the North Boone Vikings at 3:00 p.m. on Friday. Carterville is coming into the contest hot, having won their last six games.

Carterville is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They never let Newton get on the board and left with an 8-0 victory. Considering the Lions have won 18 matchups by more than five runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.

Caidence Phillips

Batters Struck Out

06/02/25 vs Newton	14
05/31/25 vs Anna-Jonesboro	9
05/28/25 vs Red Bud	13
05/23/25 vs Carmi-White County	13
05/21/25 vs Massac County	11
+ 19 more games

Newton's batters probably weren't too happy with Caidence Phillips, who pitched a no hitter and racked up 14 Ks (she gave up zero walks). Phillips has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in 24 consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Savannah Gibbs, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Kendall McCalla, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.

Meanwhile, North Boone waltzed into their game on Monday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 7-6 W against the Knights. That's two games straight that the Vikings have won by just one run.

North Boone's win bumped their record up to 25-6. As for Carterville, their victory bumped their record up to 28-4.

Carterville came out on top in a nail-biter against North Boone in their previous matchup back in June of 2024, sneaking past 1-0. Will the Lions repeat their success, or do the Vikings have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.