vs
| 04/13/23 - Home | 14-2 W |
| 04/14/22 - Away | 13-2 W |
| 05/25/21 - Home | 12-2 W |
| 04/12/18 - Away | 12-1 W |
| 04/13/17 - Home | 14-1 W |
Brimfield has gone a perfect 5-0 against Deer Creek-Mackinaw recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Indians will host the Chiefs at 4:30 p.m. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Brimfield sitting on six straight wins and Deer Creek-Mackinaw on four.
Brimfield's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They blew past Cuba/Spoon River Valley 15-0. The Indians might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine contests by seven runs or more this season.
Brimfield let Brooke Allen and Layni Linthicum run wild. Allen scored three runs while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances, while Linthicum went 2-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and one double. That's the most hits Linthicum has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Josie Wiewel, who went 1-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.
They weren't the only one making solid contact: Brimfield kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in six consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Deer Creek-Mackinaw ultimately got the result they hoped for on Wednesday. They had just enough and edged out Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 4-3.
Mackenzie Knowles made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over eight innings while giving up three earned runs off seven hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
Knowles wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Lexi Cottingham, who went 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Brimfield's victory was their 17th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 15-2. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average this season. As for Deer Creek-Mackinaw, their victory bumped their record up to 6-4.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Brimfield hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .366. However, it's not like Deer Creek-Mackinaw struggles in that department as they've averaged .338. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Brimfield's way against Deer Creek-Mackinaw when the teams last played back in April of 2023, as Brimfield made off with a 14-2 win. Will the Indians repeat their success, or do the Chiefs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
