Softball Game Preview: Dunlap Eagles vs. Canton Little Giants

The Dunlap Eagles will take on the Canton Little Giants at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Dunlap is coming into the match hot, having won their last eight games.

Dunlap will bounce into Thursday's contest after beating East Peoria, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. The Eagles had just enough and edged out the Raiders 3-2 on Tuesday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

Meanwhile, after a string of nine wins, Canton's good fortune finally ran out on Tuesday. They came up short against Metamora, falling 10-0. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Little Giants, who until this game were averaging 2.82 runs allowed.

Dunlap pushed their record up to 12-3 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.5 runs over those games. As for Canton, their defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 9-2.

Dunlap was able to grind out a solid win over Canton in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, winning 5-2. Will the Eagles repeat their success, or do the Little Giants have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.