The Southwestern Piasa Birds will challenge the East Alton-Wood River Oilers at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The timing is sure in Southwestern's favor as the team sits on eight straight wins at home while East Alton-Wood River has been banged up by five consecutive losses on the road.
On Monday, Southwestern came up short against Carlinville and fell 4-1.
Meanwhile, East Alton-Wood River can bid farewell to their 11-game losing streak thanks to their game on Wednesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-3 victory over Litchfield. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Oilers have posted since March 25th.
Ellie Beachum spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on nine hits and racked up 12 Ks. She has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, East Alton-Wood River let Lily Tretter and Jayde Kassler run wild. Tretter went 1-for-2 with two RBI and one run, while Kassler went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and one RBI. That's the most RBI Tretter has posted since back in April.
East Alton-Wood River's victory bumped their record up to 9-12. As for Southwestern, their loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 6-1 and their overall record down to 14-4-1.
East Alton-Wood River's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Southwestern has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .436. It's a different story for East Alton-Wood River, though, as they've only averaged .351. Will they be able to contain Southwestern's hitters?
Southwestern was able to grind out a solid win over East Alton-Wood River in their previous meeting back in May of 2023, winning 13-8. Will the Piasa Birds repeat their success, or do the Oilers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
