The Illini Bluffs Tigers will square off against the Routt Catholic Rockets at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Illini Bluffs sitting on three straight wins and Routt Catholic on nine.
Illini Bluffs is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Monmouth United 2-1.
Josh Vaughn spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered one run (which was unearned) on one hit and racked up 18 Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in seven consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Illini Bluffs' win was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Grant Cruit, who scored a run while going 1-for-1.
Meanwhile, Routt Catholic put the finishing touches on their 19th blowout victory of the season on Saturday. They put the hurt on Triopia/Meredosia-Chambersburg/Virginia with a sharp 11-2 victory.
Eli Olson made a big impact no matter where he played. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out six over five innings pitched. Olson was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
In other pitching news, AJ Charpentier looked comfortable as he pitched an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Back at the plate, Nolan Turner was incredible, going 2-for-3 with three runs, a triple, and two RBI. Talon Thompson was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
Illini Bluffs has been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 11 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 15-6 record this season. As for Routt Catholic, their record now sits at 29-7.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Wednesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Illini Bluffs has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Routt Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.3. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Illini Bluffs suffered a grim 12-4 defeat to Routt Catholic in their previous meeting back in May of 2023. Can Illini Bluffs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
