vs
| 05/17/25 - Home | 1-11 L |
| 05/05/23 - Away | 2-3 L |
| 05/04/22 - Home | 6-4 W |
| 05/22/17 - Home | 6-1 W |
| 04/06/16 - Away | 5-6 L |
| 04/05/16 - Home | 8-5 W |
Vernon Hills and Antioch are an even 3-3 against one another since April of 2016, but likely not for long. The Cougars will be playing at home against the Sequoits at 4:45 p.m. on Friday. Vernon Hills is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.6 runs per game this season.
On Tuesday, Vernon Hills needed a bit of extra time to put away Glenbrook North. They had just enough and edged out the Spartans 7-6. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Cougars as it put an end to their four-game losing streak.
Ken Kim looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits.
At the plate, Vernon Hills let Nathan Perritt and Devin Ratajczak run wild. Perritt went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI, while Ratajczak went 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. That's the most hits Perritt has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Kyle Kim, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Antioch got the win against Round Lake on Thursday by a conclusive 16-1. That 15-run margin sets a new team best for the Sequoits this season.
Jackson Weber looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Antioch is 5-2 when Weber allows one or fewer earned runs, but 11-14 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Zachary Rubin and Alexander Herstowski did most of the damage at the plate: Rubin went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple, while Herstowski went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, four RBI, and one stolen base. Herstowski is becoming a predictor of Antioch's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 11-16 when he doesn't). Zachary Kavich was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Antioch always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .694. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
The victory got Antioch back to even at 16-16. As for Vernon Hills, their win bumped their record up to 19-10-1.
Vernon Hills might still be hurting after the 11-1 loss they got from Antioch in their previous matchup back in May of 2025. Can the Cougars avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
