The Illini West Chargers will venture away from home to square off against the Pittsfield Saukees at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Illini West is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.5 runs per game this season.
On Friday, Illini West was able to grind out a solid win over Havana, taking the game 5-1. The Chargers haven't had any issues with the Ducks recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive victory against them.
Illini West got a great performance from Tre Neiderman as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over five innings pitched. Neiderman has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Stephen Sparks was excellent, going 2-for-3 with three RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted over his last 11 contests.
Meanwhile, Pittsfield has relied on a stalwart pitchers averaging 3.91 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Wednesday. They took a 10-5 hit to the loss column at the hands of New Berlin/Franklin/Waverly.
Luke Saxe was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-4 with one home run and three RBI. Jacob Hull also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
Illini West's win bumped their record up to 18-8. As for Pittsfield, their defeat dropped their record down to 15-7.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Illini West has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Pittsfield struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Illini West skirted past Pittsfield 10-9 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Chargers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
