The Kankakee Valley Kougars are taking a road trip to take on the Wheeler Bearcats at 4:45 p.m. on Thursday.
Tuesday just wasn't the day for Kankakee Valley's offense. They took a 3-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of Lowell on Tuesday. Having soared to a lofty 12 runs in the game before, the Kougars' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Kankakee Valley saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Declan Murr, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one double.
Meanwhile, Wheeler had already won nine in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.2 runs) and they went ahead and made it ten on Wednesday. They skirted past the Wolves 7-5.
Tyler Hughes made a splash while hitting and pitching. He pitched seven innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off 12 hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-5 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jackson Kosiara, who went 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Nick Micciche was another key player, going 2-for-5 with two stolen bases.
Wheeler was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .444. They are a perfect 9-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
This is the second loss in a row for Kankakee Valley and nudges their season record down to 9-11. As for Wheeler, their record is now 13-6.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Kankakee Valley has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.6 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Wheeler struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Kankakee Valley came out on top in a nail-biter against Wheeler in their previous meeting back in May of 2019, sneaking past 1-0. Will the Kougars repeat their success, or do the Bearcats have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
