vs
| 05/18/24 - Neutral | 7-1 W |
| 04/17/24 - Away | 9-2 W |
| 04/15/24 - Home | 6-2 W |
| 05/18/23 - Away | 7-6 W |
| 04/04/23 - Away | 1-3 L |
| + 5 more games |
Wilmington and Coal City are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2021, but likely not for long. The Wildcats are taking a road trip to square off against the Coalers at 12:00 p.m. on Monday. Wilmington's pitching crew has only allowed 2.4 runs per game this season, so Coal City's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Wilmington barely beat Beecher the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Wildcats were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over the Bobcats on Friday. The Wildcats might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six matches by eight runs or more this season.
Ryan Kettman was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out six batters over 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two hits in eight consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with three runs and one double. That's the most runs he has posted since back in May of 2024.
In other batting news, Wilmington got a big performance out of Cooper Holman, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base. Zach Ohlund was another key player, going 3-for-5 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, Coal City scored first but ultimately less than Morris in their game on Saturday. They came up short against the Redskins, falling 14-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Coalers have suffered since May 18, 2024.
Coal City saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Gavin Berger, who went 1-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Wilmington is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 10-6 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.1 runs on average over those games. As for Coal City, their defeat ended an eight-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 14-3.
Everything went Wilmington's way against Coal City in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, as Wilmington made off with a 7-1 victory. Will the Wildcats repeat their success, or do the Coalers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
