The Springfield Senators are taking a road trip to face off against the Champaign Central Maroons at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Springfield 2, Champaign Central 1.2) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Springfield's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. They blew past Athens 10-0. The win continues a trend for the Senators in their matchups with the Warriors: they've now won four in a row.
Mia Volpert
| 04/28/25 @ Athens | 13 |
| 04/23/25 @ Sacred Heart-Griffin | 9 |
| 04/22/25 vs Decatur Eisenhower | 6 |
| 04/21/25 @ Auburn | 8 |
| 04/17/25 vs Sacred Heart-Griffin | 23 |
| + 10 more games |
Mia Volpert was a major factor no matter where she played. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 13 over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Bella Pagliara, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Erin Stoops, who went 1-for-2 with two runs and two RBI.
Springfield always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .519. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Athens only posted an OBP of .000.
Meanwhile, Champaign Central came tearing into Friday's contest with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 13.6 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 4-0 victory over Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg. Give the Maroons' pitching crew some credit: that's the team's fourth straight shutout.
Like Springfield, Champaign Central also got a great game from a two-way player: Haley Helm. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 11 over seven innings pitched. Helm was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one home run.
In other batting news, Kaitlyn Helm was excellent, going 1-for-2 with one home run and two RBI. Maisie Bowers also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen bases of the season.
Springfield's record is now 12-3. As for Champaign Central, their record now sits at 15-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Springfield has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 13.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Champaign Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 10.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Springfield's way against Champaign Central when the teams last played back in April of 2018, as Springfield made off with a 10-2 win. Will the Senators repeat their success, or do the Maroons have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
