The Lockport Porters will face off against the Lincoln-Way Central Knights at 4:45 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Lockport comes in on 15 and Lincoln-Way Central on 23.
Lockport is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Lincoln-Way East a 3-0 shutout. The Porters' pitching crew has been rock solid lately; the team hasn't given up a run in their last three contests.
Kelcie McGraw was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, Rheanna Slavicek was excellent, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one double.
Lockport hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least four batters in 15 consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Lincoln-Way Central faced Lincoln-Way West in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Tuesday. The Knights walked away with a 5-0 victory over the Warriors. Give the Knights' pitching crew some credit: that's the team's fourth straight shutout.
Not much got past Lisabella Dimitrijevic, who gave up just a hit and racked up 16 Ks to keep Lincoln-Way West off the board.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Teagan Berkshire, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. Jaimee Bolduc was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Lockport pushed their record up to 29-9 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Lincoln-Way Central, their record is now 34-1.
Friday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Lockport hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .334. However, it's not like Lincoln-Way Central struggles in that department as they've averaged .321. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Lockport might still be hurting after the 8-2 defeat they got from Lincoln-Way Central in their previous meeting back in May. Can the Porters avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
