Willowbrook will face off against Lincoln-Way West at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Willowbrook 3.9, Lincoln-Way West 2.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Willowbrook's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They came out on top against Leyden by a score of 5-0.
Bobby Biggs
| 05/22/25 @ Leyden | 8 |
| 05/17/25 @ Oak Park-River Forest | 3 |
| 05/06/25 vs Berwyn/Cicero Morton | 4 |
| 04/29/25 @ Proviso East | 7 |
| 04/23/25 @ Downers Grove South | 4 |
| + 2 more games |
Bobby Biggs tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run while striking out eight over six innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April.
On the hitting side, Sam Marrese and Alec Ramey did most of the damage at the plate: Marrese went 2-for-4 with three RBI, while Ramey went 1-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Lincoln-Way West had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 4.3 runs) and they went ahead and made it four on Thursday. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 1-0 W against the Whip-Purs.
Conor Essenburg made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out eight over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in nine consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one double.
In other pitching news, Tyler Bartley looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances.
Willowbrook is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 13 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 23-8 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.7 runs over those games. As for Lincoln-Way West, their victory bumped their record up to 24-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Willowbrook has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Lincoln-Way West struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Willowbrook came out on top in a nail-biter against Lincoln-Way West when the teams last played back in May of 2024, sneaking past 10-9. Will Willowbrook repeat their success, or does Lincoln-Way West has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
