The Plainfield North Tigers will head out on the road to square off against the Plainfield East Bengals at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Fans were treated to a battle of the Tigers on Monday. Plainfield North put the hurt on Joliet West with a sharp 7-0 win. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory Plainfield North has posted against Joliet West since April 24, 2018.
Meanwhile, Plainfield East entered their tilt with Oswego East on Wednesday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They came out on top against the Wolves by a score of 12-7. The game was the first time the Bengals have beaten the Wolves on their field since May 17, 2018.
Jocelyn Cushard was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out six batters over five innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off nine hits (and only one walk). Cushard was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with three RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Natalie Utrata, who went 4-for-5 with two triples, three runs, and three RBI. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Kaleigh Cawthon, who went 2-for-5 with one triple and one run.
Plainfield East was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .444. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .348 or higher in three consecutive contests.
Plainfield East's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-7. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Plainfield North, their record now sits at 5-13.
Plainfield North came out on top in a nail-biter against Plainfield East in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, sneaking past 3-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Tigers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
