The Champaign Central Maroons will venture away from home to face off against the Mattoon Greenwave at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Champaign Central will come into the match with an undefeated record on the line.
Champaign Central is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Peoria a 21-0 shutout on Saturday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Maroons with their most commanding win of the season.
Maisie Bowers was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, she posted three strikeouts, the most she's had since back in April of 2024. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 3-for-3.
Molly Kloeppel
| 04/12/25 @ Peoria | 3 |
| 04/08/25 vs Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond | 2 |
| 05/22/24 vs Mahomet-Seymour | 2 |
| 04/30/24 @ Danville | 2 |
| 04/25/24 vs Urbana | 2 |
In other batting news, Champaign Central got a massive performance out of Molly Kloeppel, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. Those three hits gave Kloeppel a new career-high. Kaitlyn Helm was another key player, going a perfect 4-for-4 with two triples, three RBI, and two runs.
Champaign Central kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 19 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in ten consecutive games dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last contest, Mattoon made sure to put some runs up on the board against Shelbyville on Friday. The Greenwave blew past the Rams 14-2. The Greenwave not only won on Friday, but they posted their biggest win since March 20th.
Like Champaign Central, Mattoon also got a great game from a two-way player: Sydney Starwalt. On the mound, she tossed five innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits. Starwalt has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Lexi Murdock and Kynlee McGraw did most of the damage at the plate: Murdock scored three runs and stole four bases while going 3-for-4, while McGraw went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. Murdock also brought in an RBI, marking her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Alana Perez, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Champaign Central's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-0. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.3 runs on average over those games. As for Mattoon, their record is now 4-5.
Mattoon's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Monday. Champaign Central has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.5 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Mattoon, though, as they've been averaging only 4 strikeouts. Will Champaign Central keep running through batters, or will the Greenwave buck the trend?
Champaign Central suffered a grim 17-1 defeat to Mattoon in their previous meeting back in March of 2023. Can the Maroons avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
