The Bloom Blazing Trojan will take on the Crete-Monee Warriors at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Crete-Monee will face off against a team with plenty of momentum: Bloom extended their winning streak to three on Friday. The Blazing Trojan skirted past Rich Township 11-9. That's two games straight that the Blazing Trojan have won by exactly two runs.
Trevion Franklin and Kamari Dawkins made a splash no matter where they played. On the mound, Franklin tossed 5.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and six unearned) runs off seven hits. Meanwhile, Dawkins tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Bloom is 2-1 when Dawkins allows one or fewer hits, but 2-6 otherwise. At bat, Franklin scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Dawkins scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Dawkins is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last four games he's played.
Talen Taverne
| 04/11/25 vs Rich Township | 2 |
| 04/10/25 @ Rich Township | 1 |
| 04/08/25 @ Rich Township | 1 |
| 04/03/25 vs Manteno | 1 |
| 03/29/25 vs Argo | 1 |
In other batting news, Talen Taverne was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing four bases while getting on base in two of his five plate appearances. Those two runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Isaiah Maldanado, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Bloom was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. They are 2-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Crete-Monee). Their pitcher stepped up to hand Kankakee a 15-0 shutout on Saturday. With that victory, the Warriors brought their scoring average up to 6.7 runs per game.
Timothy Gaddis was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over five innings pitched. Gaddis was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with three RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Anthony Monegan, who scored three runs while going 3-for-4. He continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Christopher Schubbe was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Crete-Monee has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a massive bump to their 5-6 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs over those games. As for Bloom, their victory bumped their record up to 4-7.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Bloom has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Crete-Monee struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Bloom came up short against Crete-Monee in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, falling 9-5. Will the Blazing Trojan have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
