Baseball Game Preview: Rich Township Raptors vs. Thornton Wildcats

For the second straight game, Rich Township will face off against Thornton. The Raptors will square off against the Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Rich Township is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.9 runs per game this season.

On Wednesday, Rich Township got the win against Thornton by a conclusive 15-1. The Raptors haven't had any issues with the Wildcats recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive victory against them.

Maurice Pinkney

Hits (Career)

05/07/25 vs Thornton	3
05/05/25 @ Thornton	2
04/21/25 @ Kankakee	2
04/16/25 @ Thornridge	2
04/05/25 @ Blue Island Eisenhower	2

Maurice Pinkney made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and only one walk). He has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in nine consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with three stolen bases, four runs, and two RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.

In other batting news, Rich Township let Jordan Berry and Brandon Bankhead run wild. Berry went 2-for-3 with three RBI and one stolen base, while Bankhead went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and three runs. Those three RBI gave Berry a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Gio Rivera, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.

Rich Township always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Thornton only posted an OBP of .235.

Rich Township's record is now 10-12. As for Thornton, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 9-10-1.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Rich Township has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Thornton struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.