The Mendota Trojans will challenge the Riverdale Rams at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Mendota has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the contest with 15 straight losses, while Riverdale will come in with five straight victories.
Erie-Prophetstown hit Mendota with a four-run first inning on Monday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Trojans lost 12-1 to the Panthers.
Mendota saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Leah Henkel, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Riverdale's rock-solid pitcher showed up for the team's third consecutive shutout on Saturday. They never let Sherrard get on the board and left with a 15-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Rams, who have now won 14 matchups by seven runs or more so far this season.
Brooklyn Peterson was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and two doubles. That's the most doubles she has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Katie Cox, who went 3-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and one double.
Riverdale always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .677. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Sherrard only posted an OBP of .231.
Riverdale's victory was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 20-4. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs over those games. As for Mendota, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-16.
Tuesday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Mendota hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .331. However, it's not like Riverdale struggles in that department as they've averaged .386. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Mendota was able to grind out a solid victory over Riverdale in their previous meeting back in April of 2022, winning 6-2. Will the Trojans repeat their success, or do the Rams have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
