The Champaign Central Maroons will face off against the Oakwood Comets at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Champaign Central comes in on eight and Oakwood on three.
Champaign Central's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They came out on top against Centennial by a score of 5-0.
Haley Helm
| 05/06/25 vs Centennial | 13 |
| 05/03/25 vs Springfield | 13 |
| 05/02/25 vs Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg | 11 |
| 04/26/25 @ Bloomington | 21 |
| 04/22/25 vs Richwoods | 7 |
| + 4 more games |
Not much got past Haley Helm, who gave up just two hits and racked up 13 Ks to keep Centennial off the board. Helm has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in nine consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Mya De La Cruz, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April.
Meanwhile, Oakwood beat Armstrong 5-0 on Monday.
Irene Rangel was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out 12 over seven innings pitched. Rangel was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Rangel wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Caydence Vermillion, who went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Champaign Central's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-1. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Oakwood, their win bumped their record up to 13-8-1.
Both Champaign Central and Oakwood just can't seem to miss. The Maroons have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 12 hits per game. However, it's not like Oakwood struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 5.4 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Champaign Central beat Oakwood 7-3 in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Do the Maroons have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Comets turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
