Kewanee hasn't had much luck against Newman Central Catholic recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Boilermakers will take on the Comets at 4:30 p.m. Kewanee is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.3 runs per game this season.
Kewanee is headed into the match having just posted their closest victory since March 25th on Friday. They won by a run and slipped past Mercer County 5-4.
Ben Taylor
| 05/02/25 vs Mercer County | 2 |
| 04/28/25 @ Princeton | 2 |
| 04/22/25 vs Rock Island | 2 |
| 04/15/25 @ Bureau Valley | 2 |
| 03/31/25 @ Macomb | 2 |
| + 10 more games |
Kewanee let Brady Schiltz and Ben Taylor run wild. Schiltz got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one run, one double, and one RBI, while Taylor went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs. Taylor is becoming a predictor of Kewanee's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 4-2 (and 6-10 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Brayden Conley, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Meanwhile, Newman Central Catholic had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. Everything went their way against the Tigers as they made off with a 10-3 win. Newman Central Catholic's victory was all the more impressive since the Tigers were averaging only 4.06 runs allowed on the season.
Newman Central Catholic got a massive performance out of Ashton Miner, who went 1-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. That's the most RBI Miner has posted since back in March. Garet Wolfe was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and one run.
Newman Central Catholic pushed their record up to 18-3-1 with the win, which was their tenth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.8 runs over those games. As for Kewanee, their record now sits at 10-12.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Kewanee has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Newman Central Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Kewanee might still be hurting after the 12-3 loss they got from Newman Central Catholic when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Can the Boilermakers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
