The Illini West Chargers will head out on the road to face off against the Pleasant Plains Cardinals at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Illini West comes in on four and Pleasant Plains on ten.
Illini West's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. Everything went their way against Camp Point Central as they made off with a 15-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Chargers, who have now won seven games by seven runs or more so far this season.
Nick Bruns
| 04/10/25 vs Camp Point Central | 5 |
| 05/22/24 vs Rockridge | 5 |
Nick Bruns made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. What's more, he posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in May of 2024. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI.
In other pitching news, Max Kinnamon looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, Stephen Sparks and Wesley Robertson did most of the damage at the plate: Sparks went a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, four RBI, and one stolen base, while Robertson scored three runs and stole three bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. That's the most RBI Sparks has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Ethan Carlisle, who scored two runs while going 2-for-2.
Illini West hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Camp Point Central struck out seven times.
Meanwhile, Pleasant Plains was not the first on the board on Friday, but they got there more often. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Springfield 7-6.
The team relied heavily on Grady Grisham, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI and one double. Charlie Severino also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Illini West pushed their record up to 10-1 with the win, which was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for Pleasant Plains, their record now sits at 10-0.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Illini West has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Pleasant Plains struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Illini West suffered a grim 13-1 defeat to Pleasant Plains in their previous matchup back in April of 2016. Can the Chargers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
