Softball Game Preview: Rock Island Rocks vs. Metamora Redbirds

The Rock Island Rocks will face off against the Metamora Redbirds at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a four-game winning streak alive.

Rock Island's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Quincy, sneaking past 1-0.

Lilly McDaniel

Batters Struck Out

04/17/25 vs Quincy	15
04/15/25 vs Geneseo	7
04/12/25 vs Hononegah	8
04/08/25 vs Alleman	6
04/03/25 @ Sterling	5
+ 2 more games

Quincy's batters probably weren't too happy with Lilly McDaniel, who pitched a no hitter and racked up 15 Ks (she gave up two walks). McDaniel has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances.

Meanwhile, Metamora gave up the first runs on Friday, but they didn't let that get them down. They were the clear victors by a 13-3 margin over Illinois Valley Central. The result was nothing new for the Redbirds, who have now won nine contests by six runs or more so far this season.

Rock Island pushed their record up to 10-4 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Metamora, their win bumped their record up to 13-4.

Rock Island couldn't quite finish off Metamora in their previous meeting back in May of 2023 and fell 2-0. Can the Rocks avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.