The Lowell Red Devils will head out on the road to challenge the Morgan Township Cherokees at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Lowell will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
Lowell's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They came out on top against Kankakee Valley by a score of 3-0.
The result came thanks to Zak Scharnke's shutout, as he gave up just three hits and racked up 12 Ks.
Derek Rice
| 05/12/26 vs Kankakee Valley | 3 |
| 04/20/26 vs Munster | 2 |
| 04/18/26 @ Illiana Christian | 2 |
| 05/09/26 @ Benton Central | 1 |
| 05/07/26 vs Portage | 1 |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Derek Rice, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and one triple. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Morgan Township). Everything went their way against Tri-Township on Wednesday as they made off with a 35-0 victory. Considering the Cherokees have won eight games by more than six runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Brody Biggs and Nolan Ritthaler made a splash while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Biggs tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Ritthaler pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up a single earned run in six consecutive appearances. At bat, Biggs went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run, while Ritthaler went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double. That double was Ritthaler's first of the season.
In other batting news, Morgan Township got a massive performance out of Clint Lemmons, who went 5-for-7 with four stolen bases, five runs, and four RBI. Lemmons is becoming a predictor of the Cherokees' success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 8-1 (and 5-7 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Drew Horvath, who went 5-for-6 with six runs, three RBI, and two doubles.
Morgan Township always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .712. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Lowell's record is now 12-9. As for Morgan Township, their record now sits at 13-8.
Thursday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Lowell has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .445. However, it's not like Morgan Township struggles in that department as they've averaged .438. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Lowell might still be hurting after the 11-2 defeat they got from Morgan Township in their previous matchup back in May of 2025. Can the Red Devils avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
