The Bradley-Bourbonnais Boilermakers will venture away from home to take on the Coal City Coalers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Bradley-Bourbonnais is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.2 runs per game this season.
Bradley-Bourbonnais took a seven-run defeat the last time they faced off against Lincoln-Way East, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Boilermakers came out on top in a nail-biter against the Griffins on Monday, sneaking past 7-5. The game was the first time the Boilermakers have beaten the Griffins on their field since April 7, 2017.
Cody Freitas
| 04/21/25 @ Lincoln-Way East | 7 |
| 04/12/25 vs Joliet West | 3 |
| 04/05/25 @ Normal West | 3 |
| 04/14/25 @ Homewood-Flossmoor | 1 |
| 04/10/25 @ Sandburg | 1 |
Cody Freitas made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over six innings while giving up five earned runs off five hits. Those seven strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
In other batting news, Bradley-Bourbonnais let Mason Shaul and Ty Alderson run wild. Shaul went 2-for-4 with one home run, while Alderson went 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Coal City never got on the board in their matchup on Monday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Wilmington on Tuesday. They walked away with a 10-7 win over the Wildcats. The game was the first time the Coalers have beaten the Wildcats on their field since April 5, 2022.
Like Bradley-Bourbonnais, Coal City also got a great game from a two-way player: Lance Cuddy. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off five hits. Cuddy was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one run and one double.
In other batting news, Gavin Berger and Drake Stewart did most of the damage at the plate: Berger went 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double, while Stewart went 3-for-4 with two RBI and one run. Donnie Ladas was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Coal City was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .419. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Wilmington only posted a batting average of .182.
Bradley-Bourbonnais' record now sits at 12-6. As for Coal City, their record is now 15-4.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Bradley-Bourbonnais hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like Coal City struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.5 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Bradley-Bourbonnais couldn't quite finish off Coal City in their previous meeting back in May of 2022 and fell 13-11. Can the Boilermakers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
