The Lincoln-Way Central Knights will take on the Lockport Porters at 4:45 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Lincoln-Way Central comes in on 23 and Lockport on 15.
Lincoln-Way Central is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They never let Lincoln-Way West get on the board and left with a 5-0 victory. The Knights' pitching crew has been rock solid lately; the team hasn't given up a run in their last four matches.
The result came thanks to Lisabella Dimitrijevic's shutout, as she gave up just a hit and racked up 16 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one walk in 11 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Teagan Berkshire was excellent, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. Jaimee Bolduc was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Lockport faced Lincoln-Way East in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Thursday. The Porters came out on top against the Griffins by a score of 3-0. The Porters' pitching crew has been rock solid lately; the team hasn't given up a run in their last three games.
Kelcie McGraw was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over seven innings pitched. McGraw was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Rheanna Slavicek, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one double.
Lockport hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least four batters in 15 consecutive contests.
Lockport's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 29-9. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.8 runs over those games. As for Lincoln-Way Central, their win bumped their record up to 34-1.
Both Lincoln-Way Central and Lockport just can't seem to miss. The Knights have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.1 hits per game. However, it's not like Lockport struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Lincoln-Way Central took their victory against Lockport in their previous meeting back in May by a conclusive 8-2 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Knights since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
