The Carterville Lions will challenge the St. Bede Bruins at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Carterville is coming into the contest hot, having won their last nine games.
Carterville is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Murphysboro a 15-0 shutout on Tuesday. The Lions might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten matchups by six runs or more this season.
Caidence Phillips
| 04/15/25 vs Murphysboro | 7 |
| 04/12/25 vs Tolono Unity | 14 |
| 04/11/25 @ Harrisburg | 13 |
| 04/09/25 @ Anna-Jonesboro | 14 |
| 04/07/25 vs Herrin | 9 |
| + 5 more games |
Caidence Phillips made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in ten consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That triple marked the first that she hit this season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Savannah Gibbs, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. That's the most hits she has posted over her last 12 games. Another player making a difference was Addyson Wright, who scored a run while going 1-for-1.
Carterville hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in five consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, St. Bede came up short against Waltonville on Tuesday and fell 5-2. The Bruins have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
St. Bede saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Emma Slingsby, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Carterville pushed their record up to 13-2 with the win, which was their 25th straight at home dating back to last season. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.7 runs on average over those games. As for St. Bede, their loss dropped their record down to 8-3.
Wednesday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Carterville hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .377. However, it's not like St. Bede struggles in that department as they've averaged .394. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
