Cougars
| 03/31/25 vs Dundee-Crown | 7 |
| 03/28/25 @ Oswego East | 16 |
| 03/26/25 vs Leyden | 13 |
| 03/25/25 @ Niles North | 1 |
| 03/21/25 vs Addison Trail | 15 |
| 03/18/25 vs Streamwood | 8 |
The Conant Cougars will challenge the Maine West Warriors at 4:45 p.m. on Thursday. Conant is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10 runs per game this season.
While Conant's win against Dundee-Crown wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. Conant had just enough and edged out Dundee-Crown 7-6 on Monday. The Cougars haven't had any issues with the Chargers recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.
Franklin Kirchner was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over four innings while giving up four earned runs off five hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and two RBI. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kakeru Fujino, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-3. He also hit a double, marking his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Arjun Patel, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Maine West made easy work of Elk Grove on Monday and carried off a 9-2 win. Considering the Warriors have won three games by more than six runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Conant, Maine West also got a great game from a two-way player: Julian Delao. On the mound, he pitched five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off one hit. That one hit allowed gave Delao a new career-low. He was also big at the plate, going 4-for-5 with five RBI, three doubles, and one run.
In other batting news, Joey Bruno was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-5. Maine West is undefeated when Bruno posts two or more runs, but 0-4 otherwise. Tim Wiley was another key player, scoring three runs while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
Maine West always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .524. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Elk Grove only posted an OBP of .258.
The victory made it two in a row for Maine West and bumps their season record up to 3-4. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to hits: they averaged an imposing 13 hits in those games compared to only 5.6 in the others. As for Conant, they pushed their record up to 5-1 with the win, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Conant has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Maine West struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Conant came up short against Maine West in their previous meeting back in April of 2023, falling 9-6. Will Conant have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
