Softball Game Preview: Thornwood Thunderbirds vs. Rich Township Raptors

Thornwood hasn't had much luck against Rich Township recently, but that could start to change on Wednesday. The Thunderbirds will square off against the Raptors at 4:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Thornwood has three straight wins, Rich Township has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Thornwood will bounce into Wednesday's contest after beating Rich Township, who they had gone 0-9 against in their nine prior meetings. The Thunderbirds were the clear victors by a 21-2 margin over the Raptors on Monday. The Thunderbirds might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten matchups by 11 runs or more this season.

Milan Crain

Batters Struck Out (Career)

04/28/25 vs Rich Township	11
04/16/25 vs Kankakee	8
03/26/25 @ Thornton Fractional North	5
04/01/25 @ Perspectives Leadership/Technology	4

Milan Crain was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single hit and allowing only one earned run while striking out 11 over four innings pitched. Those 11 strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last four games she's played.

In other batting news, Mykyla Jones was a standout: she got on base in all four of her plate appearances with four stolen bases and four runs. She continues to improve, besting her previous run total in each of the last three games she's played. Akira Jones was another key player, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with three RBI, one triple, and one run.

Thornwood hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Rich Township struck out 11 times.

Thornwood pushed their record up to 11-4 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 19.0 runs over those games. As for Rich Township, their loss dropped their record down to 6-11.