Baseball Game Preview: Plano Reapers vs. Coal City Coalers

Plano hasn't had much luck against Coal City recently, but that could start to change on Wednesday. The Reapers will take on the Coalers at 4:30 p.m. Plano will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each matchup than the last.

Plano came up short against Mendota on Monday, falling 10-4.

Jason Phillips made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole three bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Amari Bryant, who scored two runs and stole three bases.

Meanwhile, Coal City came tearing into Tuesday's game with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5.8 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against the Lions by a score of 7-3. That's two games straight that the Coalers have won by exactly four runs.

The team relied heavily on Gabe McHugh, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Kellen Forsythe also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.

Plano's defeat dropped their record down to 1-7. As for Coal City, they pushed their record up to 9-1 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Wednesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Plano has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Coal City struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.

Plano beat Coal City 5-2 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Reapers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.