Oak Lawn has gone 9-1 against Blue Island Eisenhower recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Monday. The Spartans will face off against the Cardinals at 4:30 p.m. One thing working in Oak Lawn's favor is that they have posted at least ten runs in their last three matches.
On Thursday, Oak Lawn made easy work of Thornton Fractional South and carried off a 17-3 win. The Spartans might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight games by eight runs or more this season.
Zack Ullrich looked comfortable as he pitched four innings while giving up three earned runs off four hits. He also tossed no walks, which is notable because Oak Lawn is 2-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 7-9 otherwise.
Jackson Hilger
| 04/24/25 vs Thornton Fractional South | 3 |
| 04/21/25 @ Shepard | 3 |
| 04/12/25 vs Nazareth Academy | 3 |
| 03/21/25 @ Brooks | 3 |
| 03/17/25 @ Crete-Monee | 3 |
| + 7 more games |
On the hitting side, Jackson Hilger was incredible, going 2-for-3 with three runs, two doubles, and one RBI. Oak Lawn is 7-2 when Hilger posts two or more runs, but 2-8 otherwise. Jack Reilly was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Oak Lawn was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .500. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Blue Island Eisenhower, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. They had just enough and edged out Bloom 5-4 on Saturday. The victory was some much needed relief for the Cardinals as it spelled an end to their four-game losing streak.
Joel Barcena made a splash no matter where he played. He tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Barcena was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Adam Ford, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Those two RBI gave him a new career-high.
Oak Lawn has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-10 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Blue Island Eisenhower, their record now sits at 8-11.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Oak Lawn has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Blue Island Eisenhower struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Oak Lawn took their victory against Blue Island Eisenhower in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 15-0 score. Will the Spartans repeat their success, or do the Cardinals have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
