The Mt. Vernon Rams will face off against the Murphysboro Red Devils at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Mt. Vernon is coming into the contest hot, having won their last four games.
Mt. Vernon barely beat Mattoon the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Rams blew past the Greenwave 10-2 on Friday. Considering the Rams have won seven games by more than seven runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Ty Pierce
| 05/01/26 @ Mattoon | 3 |
| 04/22/26 @ Breese Central | 1 |
| 04/10/26 @ Belleville East | 1 |
| 04/09/26 vs Marion | 1 |
| 03/30/26 @ Benton | 4 |
Ty Pierce made a splash no matter where he played. He tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. What's more, he posted three strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March. He was even better at the plate, going 2-for-3 with four runs, two stolen bases, and one triple. He is becoming a predictor of Mt. Vernon's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 7-1 (and 7-8 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Nolan Mast, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one double. Ryker Perigo was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and three runs.
Mt. Vernon was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .394. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .308 or higher in 11 consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Murphysboro fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against Benton on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Rangers by a score of 7-6. The game snapped a strange streak: the last six times these teams have met, it?s been the away team that?s taken home the W.
Kanton Richards made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 4-for-5 with four stolen bases, three RBI, and one run.
Mt. Vernon's win bumped their record up to 14-9. As for Murphysboro, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-17.
Murphysboro's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Mt. Vernon has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .436. It's a different story for Murphysboro, though, as they've only averaged .363. Will they be able to contain Mt. Vernon's hitters? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
