Softball Game Preview: Dixon Dukes & Duchesses vs. Stillman Valley Cardinals

Dixon hasn't had much luck against Stillman Valley recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Dukes & Duchesses will face off against the Cardinals at 4:30 p.m. Dixon will be strutting in after a victory while Stillman Valley will be coming in after a defeat.

Dixon barely beat Winnebago the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Dukes & Duchesses put the hurt on the Indians with a sharp 8-1 win on Thursday. The matchup marked the Dukes & Duchesses' most dominant victory of the season so far.

Allie Abell

Batters Struck Out (Career)

04/10/25 vs Winnebago	9
05/14/24 vs Rochelle	8
04/30/24 @ Rock Falls	7
04/07/25 vs Genoa-Kingston	6
04/29/24 vs Genoa-Kingston	5

Allie Abell was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out nine over seven innings pitched. Those nine strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.

In other batting news, Bailey Tegeler and Kiley Gaither did most of the damage at the plate: Tegeler scored a run and stole a base while going 4-for-4, while Gaither scored two runs while going 2-for-4. What's more, Gaither posted two RBI, the most she's had since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Addy Williams, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and two RBI.

Dixon was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .419. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Winnebago only posted a batting average of .120.

Meanwhile, Stillman Valley unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Saturday. They took a 9-5 hit to the loss column at the hands of DeKalb.

Dixon has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-2 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.5 runs on average over those games. As for Stillman Valley, their loss dropped their record down to 5-3.

Dixon might still be hurting after the 6-0 defeat they got from Stillman Valley when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Can the Dukes & Duchesses avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.