vs
| 05/08/24 - Away | 10-2 W |
| 05/06/24 - Home | 8-1 W |
| 05/10/23 - Home | 6-0 W |
| 05/08/23 - Away | 4-5 L |
| 04/06/22 - Home | 4-15 L |
| + 5 more games |
East Peoria and Metamora are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2019, but likely not for long. The Raiders will venture away from home to take on the Redbirds at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. East Peoria's pitching crew has only allowed 2.8 runs per game this season, so Metamora's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
If East Peoria beats Metamora with seven runs on Monday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two contests with that exact score. The Raiders beat Normal University on Saturday by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 7-2. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Raiders.
East Peoria saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was R.J. Duncheon, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and one triple. That's the most runs Duncheon has posted since back in March.
Meanwhile, Metamora got the win against Streator on Friday by a conclusive 9-3. The win continues a trend for the Redbirds in their matchups with the Bulldogs: they've now won three in a row.
Brant Adams made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits over four innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one RBI.
In other batting news, Metamora got a big performance out of Cole Smith, who went 3-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. Smith has become a key player for the Redbirds: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least three hits, but 8-13 otherwise. Drew Lueddecke also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
East Peoria pushed their record up to 19-7 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.5 runs over those games. As for Metamora, their record is now 10-14.
East Peoria took their victory against Metamora when the teams last played back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 10-2 score. Will the Raiders repeat their success, or do the Redbirds have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
