The Cary-Grove Trojans will venture away from home to square off against the Dundee-Crown Chargers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Cary-Grove will be strutting in after a win while Dundee-Crown will be coming in after a loss.
Cary-Grove will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Monday, then bounced right back against Crystal Lake South on Wednesday. The Trojans blew past the Gators 13-3. The victory continues a trend for the Trojans in their matchups with the Gators: they've now won three in a row.
Annika Dykstra made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she pitched three innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off two hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one double and one RBI.
Aubrey Longergan
| 04/23/25 vs Crystal Lake South | 3 |
| 04/14/25 @ Jacobs | 2 |
| 04/19/25 vs Leyden | 1 |
| 04/19/25 vs Shepard | 1 |
| 04/12/25 vs Wauconda | 1 |
In other batting news, Aubrey Longergan was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with three stolen bases and four runs. Those three stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Paityn Ahlquist, who went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run.
Cary-Grove was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .419. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Crystal Lake South only posted a batting average of .160.
Meanwhile, Dundee-Crown didn't have quite enough to beat Huntley on Wednesday and fell 4-2. The Chargers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Dundee-Crown saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Alyssa Gale, who went 1-for-4 with one stolen base and one run.
Dundee-Crown's defeat dropped their record down to 6-11. As for Cary-Grove, their record now sits at 4-9.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Cary-Grove hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .340. However, it's not like Dundee-Crown struggles in that department as they've averaged .342. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Cary-Grove couldn't quite get it done against Dundee-Crown when the teams last played back in May of 2024 as they fell 8-4. Can the Trojans avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
