Granite City is 1-9 against Alton since May of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Warriors will face off against the Redbirds at 4:30 p.m. Granite City will be strutting in after a win while Alton will be coming in after a defeat.
Having struggled with five losses in a row, Granite City turned things around against Cahokia on Wednesday. They were the clear victors by a 15-0 margin over the Comanches.
Emilee Saggio made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Saggio was also big at the plate, getting on base in all three of her plate appearances with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Rachel Willaredt, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March of 2024. Shelbie Borth also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.
Granite City always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .828. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Alton was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They lost 12-2 to Belleville West.
Alton saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Gabby Terrell, who went 1-for-2 with one run.
Granite City's record is now 8-14. As for Alton, their loss dropped their record down to 5-18.
Alton's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Granite City hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .325. It's a different story for Alton, though, as they've only averaged .231. Will they be able to contain Granite City's hitters?
Granite City came out on top in a nail-biter against Alton when the teams last played back in April, sneaking past 2-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Warriors since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
