vs
| 04/07/25 - Home | 7-0 W |
| 04/09/24 - Away | 7-3 W |
| 04/05/24 - Home | 8-0 W |
| 04/13/23 - Away | 7-10 L |
| 04/06/23 - Home | 10-0 W |
| + 5 more games |
Morton is 9-1 against Canton since April of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Potters are taking a road trip to square off against the Little Giants at 4:15 p.m. Morton will be looking to extend their current ten-game winning streak.
Morton's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They had just enough and edged out Metamora 1-0.
Morton got a great performance from Matt Sander as he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over 5.2 innings pitched. Sander has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Morton saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Cameron Crawford, who scored a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Canton fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against East Peoria on Wednesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Raiders by a score of 3-2. Having soared to a lofty 15 runs in the game before, the Little Giants couldn't push the score so high this time.
Kash Van Houten put in work no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out 14 batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. That's the fewest hits he has allowed over his last four games. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Morton's win was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-5. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.1 runs on average over those games. As for Canton, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost seven of their last eight matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 6-7 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Morton has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Canton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Morton took their win against Canton when the teams last played last Monday by a conclusive 7-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Potters since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
