The Carterville Lions will challenge the Chester Yellowjackets at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Carterville barely beat Carmi-White County the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Carterville blew past Carmi-White County 11-5 on Tuesday.
Emilyn Ford looked comfortable as she struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
At the plate, Carterville let Addyson Wright and Kendall McCalla run wild. Wright scored two runs while going 4-for-4, while McCalla got on base in four of her five plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. That's the most runs McCalla has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Audrina Sloan, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one RBI.
Carterville kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in four consecutive games dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Chester put another one in the bag on Tuesday to keep their perfect season alive. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Steeleville a 10-0 shutout. The result was nothing new for the Yellowjackets, who have now won three contests by ten runs or more so far this season.
Avery Hasemeyer and Elaina Lutman did most of the damage at the plate: Hasemeyer went a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run, while Lutman scored three runs and stole four bases while going 3-for-3. Lutman is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: she's snagged at least one every time she's taken the field this season. Camryn Wolff was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Carterville's victory was their 18th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 2-1. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.7 runs on average over those games. As for Chester, their victory bumped their record up to 6-0.
Wednesday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Carterville hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .348. However, it's not like Chester struggles in that department as they've averaged .377. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
