The Dunlap Eagles are taking a road trip to take on the Normal West Wildcats at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Dunlap 2.5, Normal West 3.4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Normal West will be up against a hot Dunlap squad: the team just extended their winning streak to four. Everything went the Eagles' way against Pekin on Thursday as they made off with a 9-1 win. The result was nothing new for the Eagles, who have now won seven games by eight runs or more so far this season.
Davis Weeks
| 04/10/25 vs Pekin | 2 |
| 04/03/25 vs Moline | 2 |
| 03/28/25 @ Joliet Catholic | 2 |
Davis Weeks made a splash while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That home run was his first of the season.
In other batting news, Owen Shissler was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Drew Thiel, who scored a run while going 1-for-1.
Dunlap hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least four batters in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Normal West, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. They were the clear victors by a 7-1 margin over Bloomington on Friday.
Normal West also got a great performance from Chase Reinhart as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 14 over six innings pitched. Those 14 strikeouts gave Reinhart a new career-high.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Cooper Temples, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. Nolan Schultz was another key player, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2.
Normal West has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Dunlap, their record is now 8-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Dunlap has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Normal West struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Dunlap suffered a grim 11-5 defeat to Normal West in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. Can the Eagles avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
