Softball Game Preview: Mt. Vernon Rams vs. Belleville East Lancers

Mt. Vernon is 0-5 against Belleville East since May of 2017 but things could change on Wednesday. The Rams will be playing at home against the Lancers at 4:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Mt. Vernon's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Woodlawn as they made off with a 20-0 win. The high-scoring effort was just what the Rams needed considering they were shut out in their previous match.

Taylor DeSmith made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over five innings pitched. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.

Arwin Wilkey

Runs Batted In (Career)

04/22/25 @ Woodlawn	4
05/04/24 @ Johnston City	3
04/17/25 vs Carbondale	2
05/04/24 @ Massac County	2
04/20/24 vs Charleston	2

In other batting news, Mt. Vernon let Arwin Wilkey and Paige Watson run wild. Wilkey fired off two home runs, four runs, and four RBI while going 4-for-4, while Watson fired off two home runs, five RBI, and three runs while going 3-for-3. Those four RBI gave Wilkey a new career-high. Allie Sweeten was another key player, going 4-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.

Meanwhile, it was a classic East v. West duel when Belleville East duked it out with Belleville West on Tuesday. The Lancers blew past the Maroons 10-0. The victory continues a trend for the Lancers in their matchups with the Maroons: they've now won nine in a row.

Belleville East pushed their record up to 11-5 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.5 runs on average over those games. As for Mt. Vernon, their win bumped their record up to 8-3.

Mt. Vernon suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Belleville East in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Will the Rams have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.