Oak Lawn and Reavis are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2022, but likely not for long. The Spartans will face off against the Rams at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Reavis took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Oak Lawn, who comes in off a win.
Oak Lawn had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 12-run drubbing they dealt Lincoln Park on Saturday. The Spartans blew past the Lions 12-0. Considering the Spartans have won 13 contests by more than five runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Blake Hovanes
| 05/16/26 vs Lincoln Park | 7 |
| 04/01/26 @ Crete-Monee | 4 |
| 04/08/26 vs Bremen | 3 |
| 03/30/26 vs Kennedy | 3 |
| 04/09/26 @ Tinley Park | 2 |
Blake Hovanes looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out seven over four innings pitched. Those seven strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Justin Canvin, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and one stolen base. He has become a key player for Oak Lawn: the team is 15-2 when he posts at least two runs, but 6-8 otherwise. Hamza Abdelfattah was another key player, going a perfect 1-for-1 with three RBI, one triple, and one run.
Oak Lawn always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .613. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive matchups.
Lemont hit Reavis with a five-run fourth inning on Thursday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Rams came up short against the Lemont HS, falling 9-2. The Rams' defeat signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.
Reavis also got a good showing from Jose Rodriguez, who pitched three innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Rodriguez has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Reavis saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Juan Avila, who went 1-for-3 with one RBI.
Oak Lawn pushed their record up to 21-10 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Reavis, their loss dropped their record down to 21-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Oak Lawn has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Reavis struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Oak Lawn beat Reavis 10-7 in their previous meeting back in April. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Spartans since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
