The Dunlap Eagles are taking a road trip to challenge the Limestone Rockets at 4:15 p.m. on Monday. Dunlap will be looking to extend their current five-game winning streak.
Dunlap made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Normal West, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Eagles were the clear victors by an 8-1 margin over the Wildcats on Saturday. The Eagles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight contests by seven runs or more this season.
Christian Ferrari and Owen Shissler did most of the damage at the plate: Ferrari scored two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances, while Shissler scored a run while going 2-for-4. What's more, Shissler posted three RBI, the most he's had over his last 11 games. Ryder Rennette was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
Dunlap hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least four batters in seven consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Limestone gave up the first runs last Friday, but they didn't let that get them down. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Lincoln 6-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Rockets have posted since March 25th.
The team relied heavily on Evan Daxenbichler, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Limestone is undefeated when Daxenbichler posts two or more runs, but 3-6 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Alec Williams, who went 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Dunlap's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-4. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.3 runs on average over those games. As for Limestone, their record is now 9-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Dunlap has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Limestone 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.
Dunlap took their victory against Limestone when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 10-1 score. Will the Eagles repeat their success, or do the Rockets have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
