Tri-Township hasn't had much luck against Kankakee Valley recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Tigers will square off against the Kougars at 10:00 a.m. Tri-Township has given up an average of 7.9 runs per game this season, but Saturday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Tri-Township fell victim to Kouts and their airtight pitching crew on Friday. They came up short against the Mustangs & Fillies, falling 16-0. The matchup marked the first time this year in which the Tigers were not able to get on the board.
Meanwhile, Kankakee Valley earned a 6-2 victory over North Newton on Friday.
Elliott Patton looked comfortable as he pitched 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He also tossed no walks, which is notable because Kankakee Valley is 2-1 when he allows at most two walks, but 4-5-1 otherwise.
At the plate, Tyler Smolek and GrayLee Weaver did most of the damage at the plate: Smolek went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double, while Weaver went 2-for-3 with two doubles, one run, and one RBI. Those two doubles gave Weaver a new career-high.
Kankakee Valley kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Tri-Township is on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 4-6. As for Kankakee Valley, the win got them back to even at 6-6-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Tri-Township has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Kankakee Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Tri-Township came up short against Kankakee Valley in their previous meeting back in April of 2022, falling 10-7. Can the Tigers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
