The Pleasant Plains Cardinals will take on the Glenwood Titans at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Pleasant Plains 2.8, Glenwood 4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Pleasant Plains' hitters will try to repeat the strong performance they gave on Saturday, when they got past Morton's usually-dominant pitching crew. The Cardinals won by a run and slipped past the Potters 10-9.
The team relied heavily on Trager Shultz, who went 2-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and two doubles. That's the most doubles he has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Andrew Potthoff, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and one double.
Meanwhile, Glenwood was able to grind out a solid win over Normal West on Saturday, taking the game 11-8. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Titans.
Quinten Hale looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off four hits.
At the plate, Tucker Murphy was excellent, going 3-for-5 with three RBI and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Grady Mueller, who went 3-for-5 with two RBI and one run.
Glenwood kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Glenwood's record is now 16-8. As for Pleasant Plains, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 28-6 record this season.
Monday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Pleasant Plains hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .315. However, it's not like Glenwood struggles in that department as they've averaged .326. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Pleasant Plains skirted past Glenwood 4-3 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cardinals since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
