Baseball Game Preview: Johnston City Indians vs. Murphysboro Red Devils

Johnston City is 0-3 against Murphysboro since April of 2023 but things could change on Friday. The Indians will face off against the Red Devils at 4:30 p.m.

On Wednesday, Johnston City came up short against Benton and fell 4-1.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Murphysboro). They were the clear victors by a 12-6 margin over Chester on Saturday. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Red Devils as it put an end to their five-game losing streak.

Eli Fleming was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed 5.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits. Fleming was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two runs. That's the most runs he has posted since back in May of 2025.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Korvone House, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.

Murphysboro kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Chester only managed eight.

Johnston City's loss dropped their record down to 12-12. As for Murphysboro, their record is now 5-21.

Johnston City couldn't quite get it done against Murphysboro when the teams last played back in May of 2025 as they fell 7-2. Can the Indians avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.