The Kankakee Valley Kougars will venture away from home to take on the South Central Satellites at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
On Monday, Kankakee Valley made easy work of West Central and carried off a 10-1 victory. The Kougars haven't had any issues with the Trojans recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Kyli Page and Jessica Beauchamp made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, Page pitched two innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. Meanwhile, Beauchamp didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one walk in six consecutive appearances. At the plate, Page went 1-for-3 with one home run, while Beauchamp went 1-for-4 with one triple and one run.
In other batting news, Julia Mahmet was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three doubles. What's more, she posted four RBI, the most she's had since back in April of 2024. Savannah Michalski was another key player, earning two runs and three stolen bases.
Kankakee Valley hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They are 6-1 when they post two or more strikeouts.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask South Central). They were the clear victors by a 16-1 margin over Portage on Monday. With that victory, the Satellites brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Valerie Horne made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Horne was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, South Central got a big performance out of Taylor Cleek, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. Marlee Cavinder also deserves some recognition as she launched her first home run of the season.
South Central's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 15-5-1. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.5 runs over those games. As for Kankakee Valley, their record is now 14-11.
Both Kankakee Valley and South Central just can't seem to miss. The Kougars have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.7 hits per game. However, it's not like South Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.2 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Kankakee Valley came up short against South Central in their previous meeting back in April of 2015, falling 17-13. Can the Kougars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
