The Illinois Valley Central Grey Ghosts are taking a road trip to face off against the Deer Creek-Mackinaw Chiefs at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Illinois Valley Central's pitching crew has only allowed 3.7 runs per game this season, so Deer Creek-Mackinaw's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
On Monday, Illinois Valley Central earned a 5-1 win over Prairie Central. The victory continues a trend for the Grey Ghosts in their matchups with the Hawks: they've now won six in a row.
Grant Bramer spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on five hits and racked up nine Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
Brody Garceau
| 05/05/25 vs Prairie Central | 3 |
| 05/03/25 vs Rantoul | 2 |
| 04/26/25 vs St. Joseph-Ogden | 2 |
| 04/12/25 @ Monticello | 2 |
| 05/01/25 @ Morton | 1 |
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Brody Garceau, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Keegan Schol, who went 2-for-3 with two doubles, one run, and one RBI.
Illinois Valley Central hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Deer Creek-Mackinaw was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They lost 8-1 to Roanoke-Benson/Lowpoint-Washburn.
Deer Creek-Mackinaw saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brody Williams, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one double.
Illinois Valley Central pushed their record up to 15-10 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Deer Creek-Mackinaw, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-13.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Illinois Valley Central has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Deer Creek-Mackinaw struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Illinois Valley Central's way against Deer Creek-Mackinaw in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, as Illinois Valley Central made off with an 11-1 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Grey Ghosts since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
