The Cumberland Pirates will venture away from home to square off against the Arcola Purple Riders at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
The home team had won the previous four meetings between Cumberland and Mattoon, and Cumberland kept the tradition alive. The Pirates skirted past the Greenwave 5-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Pirates have posted since May 13, 2024.
Noraa Cross was a standout: she scored two runs while going 1-for-2. Jade Carr was another key player, scoring a run while going 3-for-3.
Cross wasn't the only one making solid contact: Cumberland kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That's a new trend for the Pirates: they were averaging 4.9 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 11.8.
Meanwhile, Arcola gave up the first runs last Monday, but they didn't let that get them down. Everything went their way against Okaw Valley as they made off with a 13-6 win. The Purple Riders have beaten the Timberwolves the last four times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Timberwolves has come to flipping the script.
Cumberland has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-9 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Arcola, their record is now 5-8.
Cumberland couldn't quite finish off Arcola when the teams last played back in April of 2024 and fell 11-9. Can the Pirates avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
