Kankakee is 0-5 against Wilmington since April of 2016 but things could change on Wednesday. The Kays will host the Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. After the two teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Wednesday.
Kankakee is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Thornton a 19-0 shutout on Tuesday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Kays considering their one-run performance the matchup before.
Jacob Vinardi looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk).
On the hitting side, Jay'Den Jones and Bryce Deany did most of the damage at the plate: Jones got on base in all three of his plate appearances with three RBI, one triple, and one run, while Deany scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-3. Byron Wills was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Wilmington entered their tilt with Reed-Custer on Tuesday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They put the hurt on the Comets with a sharp 9-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Wildcats, who have now won three games by nine runs or more so far this season.
Ryan Kettman and Kyle Farrell made a splash no matter where they played. Throwing, Kettman pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Farrell didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched. Kettman has become a key player for Wilmington: the team is 2-1 when he allows at most one hit, but 2-3 otherwise. At the plate, Kettman scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-4, while Farrell scored a run while going 1-for-4. Farrell also put up a double, which was his first of the season.
In other batting news, Lucas Rink was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-3. What's more, he posted two doubles, the most he's had since back in May of 2024. Another player making a difference was Dierks Geiss, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Wilmington kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Kankakee's victory bumped their record up to 2-5. As for Wilmington, the win got them back to even at 4-4.
Kankakee couldn't quite get it done against Wilmington when the teams last played back in March of 2023 as they fell 11-6. Can the Kays avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
