Softball Game Preview: Mater Dei Knights vs. Collinsville Kahoks

The Mater Dei Knights will look to take advantage of their home field for the first time this season as they take on the Collinsville Kahoks at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with three consecutive losses for Mater Dei and four for Collinsville.

Mater Dei came into this matchup off a tough six-run defeat on Wednesday. This time they kept things ultra-competitive, but unfortunately the final result was the same. They fell just short of Highland by a score of 7-5 on Tuesday.

Mater Dei saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Allyson Willmann, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3. That hit marked the first that Willmann got this season.

Meanwhile, Collinsville scored first but ultimately less than Belleville West in their game on Tuesday. They lost 11-2 to the Maroons.

Bailey Demick made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.

Collinsville's loss dropped their record down to 1-4. As for Mater Dei, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-3.

Collinsville's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Mater Dei hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .349. It's a different story for Collinsville, though, as they've only averaged .206. Will they be able to contain Mater Dei's hitters?

Mater Dei took their victory against Collinsville in their previous matchup back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 11-0 score. Will the Knights repeat their success, or do the Kahoks have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.