Softball Game Preview: Villa Grove Blue Devils vs. Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond Knights

The Villa Grove Blue Devils are taking a road trip to challenge the Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond Knights at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Neither Villa Grove nor Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond posted many runs in their last games, so it might be the pitching crews that decide this one.

St. Joseph-Ogden hit Villa Grove with a seven-run first inning on Friday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Blue Devils came up short against the Spartans, falling 11-1. The Blue Devils' defeat signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.

Meanwhile, Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond lost 15-1 to St. Joseph-Ogden on Saturday. The loss continues a trend for the Knights in their meetings with the Spartans: they've now lost three in a row.

Villa Grove's defeat dropped their record down to 9-4. As for Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond, their loss dropped their record down to 8-12.

Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Monday. Villa Grove hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.8 home runs per game. However, it's not like Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.6 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.

Villa Grove took their victory against Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 12-2 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Blue Devils since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.