The Villa Grove Blue Devils will take on the Armstrong Trojans at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Villa Grove didn't have quite enough to beat Tuscola and fell 6-5. The Blue Devils have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Thomas Vandeventer made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 3-for-4 with one home run and three RBI.
Vandeventer wasn't the only one working in the home run department: Villa Grove lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Armstrong never let their opponents score on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Heritage as Armstrong made off with a 13-0 victory. The Trojans haven't had any issues with the Hawks recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.
Davyn Franzen made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Franzen was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one RBI. Franzen is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: he's snagged at least one every time he's taken the field this season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Traxton Roberts, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. What's more, he posted three RBI, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Ryan Edwards, who scored three runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Armstrong now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Villa Grove, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Villa Grove has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Armstrong struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 11 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Villa Grove suffered a grim 7-1 defeat to Armstrong when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Will Villa Grove have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
