Illini West is on a three-game streak of home wins, while Macomb is on a five-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Chargers will welcome the Bombers at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Illini West had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 11-run drubbing they dealt Hannibal on Saturday. The Chargers were the clear victors by a 13-2 margin over the Pirates. The Chargers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 15 contests by six runs or more this season.
Ethan Carlisle
| 05/17/25 vs Hannibal | 8 |
| 05/08/25 vs Peoria Heights | 7 |
| 05/02/25 @ Havana | 1 |
| 04/29/25 vs Mendon Unity | 3 |
| 04/25/25 vs Quincy Notre Dame | 6 |
| + 10 more games |
Ethan Carlisle was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out eight over four innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in May of 2024. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, Illini West got a big performance out of Grady Blue, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Another player making a difference was Wesley Robertson, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
Illini West always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .688. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hannibal only posted an OBP of .435.
Meanwhile, Macomb got the win against Hamilton/Warsaw on Monday by a conclusive 14-4. The Bombers haven't had any issues with the Titans recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.
Drew Watson was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Nick Elbe, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
Illini West has been performing well recently as they've won eight of their last ten games. That's provided a nice bump to their 25-10 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.6 runs over those games. As for Macomb, their victory bumped their record up to 18-14.
Illini West couldn't quite finish off Macomb in their previous matchup last Saturday and fell 6-4. Can the Chargers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
