Baseball Game Preview: Vernon Hills Cougars vs. Crystal Lake South Gators

Vernon Hills hasn't had much luck against Crystal Lake South recently, but that could start to change on Wednesday. The Cougars are taking a road trip to take on the Gators at 4:00 p.m. Vernon Hills is coming into the contest hot, having won their last three games.

Vernon Hills had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the six-run drubbing they dealt Carmel on Saturday. The Cougars put the hurt on the Corsairs with a sharp 9-3 victory. The Cougars not only won on Saturday, but they posted their biggest win since April 24th (when they won 12-5).

Tyler Perritt

Runs

05/24/25 vs Carmel	2
04/08/25 vs Deerfield	2
04/01/25 vs Hoffman Estates	2
05/19/25 vs Deerfield	1
05/13/25 @ Maine West	1
+ 9 more games

The team relied heavily on Tyler Perritt, who went 3-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. He has become a key player for Vernon Hills: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 11-20 otherwise. Jeremy Gitzinger also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.

Meanwhile, Crystal Lake South unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Monday. They came up short against Barrington, falling 7-1. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, the Gators couldn't push the score so high this time.

Vernon Hills' win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-21. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Crystal Lake South, their loss dropped their record down to 22-12.

Vernon Hills couldn't quite get it done against Crystal Lake South when the teams last played back in March of 2022 as they fell 7-4. Can the Cougars avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.