vs
| 04/14/25 - Home | 11-1 W |
| 05/14/24 - Home | 12-2 W |
| 04/08/24 - Away | 12-1 W |
| 04/28/23 - Away | 10-1 W |
| 04/10/23 - Home | 16-0 W |
| + 5 more games |
Munster has gone 9-1 against Kankakee Valley recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Mustangs will head out on the road to challenge the Kougars at 5:00 p.m. Munster is coming into the match hot, having won their last eight games.
Munster is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Indiana's top teams: Andrean, who was ranked 24th at the time (Munster was ranked sixth). The Mustangs narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Fighting 59ers 4-2.
Kaylee O'Connell made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits (and only one walk). O'Connell was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one home run and two RBI.
In other batting news, Cece Mason was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Kankakee Valley). They were the clear victors by a 19-6 margin over Hobart on Wednesday. Considering the Kougars have won four games by more than six runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Munster, Kankakee Valley also got a great game from a two-way player: Jessica Beauchamp. On the mound, she struck out six batters over three innings while giving up just two earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). Those six strikeouts gave Beauchamp a new career-high. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with three runs and two RBI.
In other batting news, Kankakee Valley got a massive performance out of Catalina Veach, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run, four runs, and three RBI. Those three RBI gave Veach a new career-high. Madalynn Hemphill was another key player, going 3-for-4 with four runs, one double, and one RBI.
Kankakee Valley always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .583. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Munster's victory was their seventh straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 16-3. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Kankakee Valley, their record is now 7-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Munster has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Kankakee Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Munster took their victory against Kankakee Valley in their previous meeting back in April by a conclusive 11-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Mustangs since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
