Sobos
| 04/03/25 vs Westminster Christian | 2 |
| 04/01/25 @ Westminster Christian | 21 |
| 03/31/25 vs Guilford | 1 |
| 03/26/25 vs Milledgeville | 4 |
| 03/21/25 @ Earlville | 5 |
| 03/17/25 vs Harvard | 9 |
The South Beloit Sobos will take on the River Ridge/Scales Mound Wildcats at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. South Beloit is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7 runs per game this season.
While South Beloit's victory against Westminster Christian wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Sobos narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Warriors 2-1. While the Sobos didn't have the best season last year (they finished 6-15), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Richard Carlson made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one home run. That home run marked the first that he launched this season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask River Ridge/Scales Mound). They never let Orangeville get on the board and left with a 10-0 victory on Friday. The win continues a trend for the Wildcats in their matchups with the Broncos: they've now won nine in a row.
Like South Beloit, River Ridge/Scales Mound also got a great game from a two-way player: Damon Dittmar. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over five innings pitched. Dittmar was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
In other batting news, Camden Flack and Joe Winter did most of the damage at the plate: Flack scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances, while Winter scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Hamish Boden, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-3.
River Ridge/Scales Mound always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .519. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
The victory made it two in a row for South Beloit and bumps their season record up to 5-1. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for River Ridge/Scales Mound, their victory bumped their record up to 2-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. South Beloit has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 13.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like River Ridge/Scales Mound struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
South Beloit suffered a grim 16-1 defeat to River Ridge/Scales Mound in their previous meeting back in April of 2019. Can the Sobos avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
