The Brimfield Indians are taking a road trip to take on the Illinois Valley Central Grey Ghosts at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Brimfield will be looking to extend their current 11-game winning streak.
Illinois Valley Central's hitters are going to have their work cut out for them on Tuesday: Brimfield hadn't allowed a single run the last seven times they've hit the field. The Indians came out on top in a nail-biter against Illini Bluffs on Monday, sneaking past 1-0. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Indians have posted since April 5th.
The result came thanks to Schyer Meinders's shutout, as she gave up just four hits and racked up six Ks. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Brimfield saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kendyl Binder, who went 1-for-2 with one double and one RBI.
Brimfield hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least four batters in seven consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Illinois Valley Central won against Galesburg on Wednesday with ten runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Friday. The Grey Ghosts didn't even let Hall on the board, marking the Grey Ghosts' second-straight 10-0 shutout. The Grey Ghosts might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten games by seven runs or more this season.
Emersyn Fleming was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over five innings pitched. Fleming was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one RBI.
In other batting news, Illinois Valley Central got a massive performance out of Taylor Zannacker, who went 2-for-3 with one home run and two runs. Morgan Ellington was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
Brimfield's victory was their 19th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 20-2. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.7 runs on average over those games. As for Illinois Valley Central, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 12-7.
Illinois Valley Central's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday. Brimfield has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.4 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Illinois Valley Central, though, as they've been averaging only 3.3 strikeouts. Will Brimfield keep running through batters, or will the Grey Ghosts buck the trend?
Brimfield was able to grind out a solid win over Illinois Valley Central when the teams last played back in April of 2024, winning 6-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Indians since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
