The Gillespie Miners will head out to challenge the Triad Knights at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Triad's hitters are going to have their work cut out for them on Wednesday: Gillespie hadn't allowed a single run the last three times they've hit the field. Gillespie's pitchers stepped up to hand Metro-East Lutheran a 15-0 shutout on Monday. The victory continues a trend for the Miners in their matchups with the Knights: they've now won five in a row.
Gillespie got a massive performance out of Sadie Sholtis, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two doubles. That's the most doubles Sholtis has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Ava Rakers, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
Sholtis wasn't the only one working in the hit department: Gillespie kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. Gillespie is 2-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, Triad entered their tilt with Belleville West on Saturday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They put the hurt on the Maroons with a sharp 17-10 win. That's two games straight that the Knights have won by exactly seven runs.
The team relied heavily on Lil Lintz, who got on base in four of her five plate appearances with four RBI, one run, and one double. That double was her first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Syd Horn, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of her six plate appearances.
Triad pushed their record up to 4-2 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for Gillespie, the victory got them back to even at 4-4.
Wednesday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Gillespie hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .345. However, it's not like Triad struggles in that department as they've averaged .423. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Gillespie took their win against Triad in their previous matchup back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 11-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Gillespie since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
