Baseball Recap: Illini Bluffs Picks Up Ninth Consecutive Win

Tigers

Previous Games

05/15/25 vs Stark County	5-0
05/10/25 vs Tremont	2-1
05/09/25 @ Peoria Christian	8-0
05/08/25 @ Havana	4-1
05/06/25 vs Peoria Heights	11-1
+ 4 more games

Illini Bluffs came tearing into Thursday's matchup with eight straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.4 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They never let the Stark County Rebels get on the board and left with a 5-0 victory. The Tigers have seen this before: they got the W the last time they saw the Rebels, too.

Brayden Fargher made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out nine over 5.1 innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in five consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.

In other batting news, Will Giftos was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April.

Illini Bluffs hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Stark County struck out ten times.

Illini Bluffs pushed their record up to 17-5 with the win, which was their tenth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Stark County, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost 12 of their last 15 contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 8-20 record this season.

Illini Bluffs does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Stark County, they will head out on the road to challenge Earlville at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The Red Raiders have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 8.75 runs per game on average), something the Rebels will no doubt try to take advantage of.