The Minooka Indians will head out on the road to square off against the Plainfield Central Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Minooka has struggled recently with four losses in a row, while Plainfield Central will arrive with five straight victories.
Minooka's last matchup with Oswego could've gone either way, but unfortunately the same can't be said for the pair's match on Monday. The Indians came up short against the Panthers, falling 10-0. Considering the last time the Indians couldn't score was back in March, the team can't take the result too hard.
Meanwhile, Plainfield Central hadn't done well against Plainfield South recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Monday. The Wildcats had just enough and edged out the Cougars 4-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Wildcats have posted against the Cougars since May 12, 2022.
Jamie Crawford spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on seven hits and racked up seven Ks.
At the plate, Ava Zitello was excellent, going 3-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April. Evalyn Prochaska was another key player, going 1-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base.
Plainfield Central pushed their record up to 16-12-1 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.7 runs on average over those games. As for Minooka, their defeat dropped their record down to 21-12.
Plainfield Central's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Minooka has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.7 hits per game. It's a different story for Plainfield Central, though, as they've been averaging 8.9 hits. Given Minooka's sizable advantage in that area, the Wildcats will need to find a way to close that gap.
Minooka took their victory against Plainfield Central in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 15-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Indians since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
