It may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Belleville West ultimately got the result they hoped for on Thursday. They beat the Collinsville Kahoks by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 4-3. The Maroons haven't had any issues with the Kahoks recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
Ellaina Jenkins spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on five hits and racked up eight Ks.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Caleigh Dashner, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. That's the most hits she has posted since back in May of 2025. Another player making a difference was Daijah Jackson, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and one double.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Belleville West kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.1 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 matchups they've averaged 9.2.
vs
| 04/16/26 - Home | 4-3 W |
| 05/01/25 - Home | 18-0 W |
| 04/01/25 - Away | 11-2 W |
| 04/25/24 - Away | 15-0 W |
| 03/26/24 - Home | 16-1 W |
| + 5 more games |
Belleville West's record is now 7-8. As for Collinsville, they dropped their record down to 3-13 with the defeat, which was their seventh straight on the road.
Belleville West and Collinsville could both be facing uphill battles in their next games considering their disadvantage in the MaxPreps Illinois Rankings. The Maroons (ranked 230th) will meet Mascoutah (ranked 61st) at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, Collinsville will challenge Roxana at 4:30 p.m. on Friday with a big rank disadvantage (447 vs. 185).
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
