The Pinckneyville Panthers will challenge the Freeburg Midgets on Saturday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Pinckneyville's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Elverado with a sharp 14-0 win. Considering the Panthers have won 12 games by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Freeburg ultimately got the result they hoped for on Thursday. They came out on top against Okawville by a score of 9-4. The victory continues a trend for the Midgets in their matchups with the Rockets: they've now won six in a row.
Waeltz Aubrey made a big impact no matter where she played. She pitched seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off six hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-5 with two RBI and one double. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April.
In other pitching news, Kailey Owen looked comfortable as she tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season.
Back at the plate, Kylie Whitten and Katelyn Whitworth did most of the damage at the plate: Whitten went 2-for-5 with four RBI, two doubles, and one run, while Whitworth went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Those three hits gave Whitworth a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Emylee Martin, who went 4-for-5 with two doubles.
Freeburg was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .447. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Okawville only posted a batting average of .188.
Pinckneyville's win was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 19-5. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for Freeburg, their win bumped their record up to 13-10.
Pinckneyville took their victory against Freeburg in their previous matchup back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 15-4 score. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Midgets turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
