Grant Park is 0-10 against Beecher since April of 2018 but things could change on Thursday. The Dragons will look to defend their home field against the Bobcats at 4:30 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Grant Park took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They never let Illinois Lutheran get on the board and left with a 10-0 win. The victory continues a trend for the Dragons in their matchups with the Chargers: they've now won five in a row.
Cheyenne Hayes was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and one double. That double marked the first that she hit this season.
In other batting news, Abigail Garcia was incredible, going 1-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those two runs gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Reegan Thompson, who went 1-for-2 with three runs, one triple, and one RBI.
Grant Park hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least four strikeouts batters in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Beecher strolled into their game on Tuesday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They came out on top against Ottawa by a score of 3-0.
Beecher's win was truly a team effort as six different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was MaKenzie Johnson, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-4.
Beecher's victory was their 17th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-0. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.9 runs over those games. As for Grant Park, their victory bumped their record up to 2-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Grant Park has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Beecher struggles in that department as they've been averaging 12.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Grant Park suffered a grim 13-0 defeat to Beecher in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Will the Dragons have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
