Softball Game Preview: Dupo Tigers vs. East Alton-Wood River Oilers

The Dupo Tigers will head out on the road to square off against the East Alton-Wood River Oilers at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Dupo will bounce into Monday's matchup after beating Valmeyer, who they had gone 0-9 against in their nine prior meetings. The Tigers' pitchers stepped up to hand the Pirates a 10-0 shutout on Friday. The Tigers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by nine runs or more this season.

Meanwhile, East Alton-Wood River had to endure an 11-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Litchfield on Wednesday, sneaking past 4-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Oilers have posted since March 25th.

Ellie Beachum spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on nine hits and racked up 12 Ks. She has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Jayde Kassler and Lily Tretter did most of the damage at the plate: Kassler went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and one RBI, while Tretter went 1-for-2 with two RBI and one run. That's the most RBI Tretter has posted since back in April.

Dupo has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 9-9 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for East Alton-Wood River, their record is now 9-12.

Dupo skirted past East Alton-Wood River 5-4 in their previous matchup back in May of 2017. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Tigers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.