Softball Game Preview: Prairie Central Hawks vs. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Falcons

Hawks

Runs

04/22/25 vs Tri-Valley	4
04/21/25 @ St. Joseph-Ogden	1
04/17/25 @ Rantoul	9
04/15/25 @ Peoria Notre Dame	1
04/14/25 vs Bloomington Central Catholic	3
+ 17 more games

The Prairie Central Hawks will head out to square off against the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Falcons at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Prairie Central is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.1 runs per game this season.

Things were looking good for Prairie Central after they put the first run on the board on Tuesday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They took a 7-4 hit to the loss column at the hands of Tri-Valley. The Hawks have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Jules Woodrey made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Sam Slagel, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one double.

Meanwhile, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They fell 4-1 to Tremont.

Mallory Rosendahl spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and three unearned) runs on four hits and racked up six Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Lydia Runyon, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one RBI. Bella Young was another, going 2-for-3 with one run and one double.

Prairie Central's defeat dropped their record down to 10-12. As for Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, their loss dropped their record down to 8-11.

Prairie Central's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's match. The Hawks have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.9 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, though, as they've been averaging only 0.8 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Prairie Central continue to outrun the ball?

Prairie Central came out on top in a nail-biter against Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, sneaking past 4-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hawks since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.