Baseball Game Preview: Galena Bears vs. Verona Wildcats

Bears

Runs

04/15/25 @ Southwest	16
04/14/25 @ Exeter	20
04/11/25 @ Purdy	2
04/08/25 vs Chadwick	10
04/01/25 @ Blue Eye	4
03/21/25 vs Wheaton	14

Galena has gone a perfect 8-0 against Verona recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Bears will challenge the Wildcats at 5:00 p.m. Galena is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 11 runs per game this season.

On Tuesday, Galena got the win against Southwest by a conclusive 16-2. The Bears might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three contests by ten runs or more this season.

Galena got a massive performance out of Cody Jones, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double. That double was Jones' first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Joell Simpson, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI.

Galena always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .667. They are 2-1 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

Meanwhile, Verona was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their 26th straight loss dating back to last season. They lost 15-0 to New Heights Christian Academy.

Verona's defeat dropped their record down to 0-8. As for Galena, the win got them back to even at 3-3.

Verona's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Galena has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.3 hits per game. It's a different story for Verona, though, as they've been averaging 9.5 hits. Given Galena's sizable advantage in that area, the Wildcats will need to find a way to close that gap.

Galena took their victory against Verona in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 15-3 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bears since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.