The Rock Island Rocks will head out to square off against the East Moline United Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Rock Island's pitching crew has only allowed 2.2 runs per game this season, so East Moline United's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Rock Island took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Alleman with a sharp 15-0 victory. With that win, the Rocks brought their scoring average up to 6.5 runs per game.
Rock Island got a massive performance out of AJ Lincoln, who went 2-for-3 with one home run and four RBI. That's the most RBI Lincoln has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of TJ Sepulveda, who scored three runs while going 3-for-3.
Rock Island was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .577. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, East Moline United hadn't done well against Sterling recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. The Panthers won by a run and slipped past the Golden Warriors 9-8.
The team relied heavily on Miah Berhenke, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. Alyse Merrill also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Rock Island's record now sits at 5-3. As for East Moline United, their record is now 5-1.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Rock Island hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .338. However, it's not like East Moline United struggles in that department as they've averaged .349. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Rock Island came up short against East Moline United in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, falling 13-10. Can the Rocks avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
