The Steeleville Warriors will face off against the Okawville Rockets at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Steeleville took a loss when they played away from home last Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed last Thursday. Everything went their way against Gibault Catholic as they made off with an 8-2 win.
Corinne Mueller was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. She was even better at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one home run and two runs.
In other batting news, Zoey Wolf was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Karsen Wedemeyer was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one double.
Steeleville lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've posted since back in May of 2024.
Meanwhile, Okawville came tearing into Thursday's game with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.7 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 12-7 victory over the Bulldogs.
Okawville let Jaycie Buss and Kenley Hackstadt run wild. Buss went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple, while Hackstadt went a perfect 3-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. Another player making a difference was Lilly Cragen, who went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double.
Steeleville is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 4-7 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.3 runs over those games. As for Okawville, their victory bumped their record up to 10-6.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Steeleville hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.6 home runs per game. However, it's not like Okawville struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.5 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Steeleville might still be hurting after the 10-3 defeat they got from Okawville when the teams last played back in April of 2023. Can the Warriors avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
