Canton and Dunlap are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2019, but likely not for long. The Little Giants will be playing at home against the Eagles at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Canton took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Saturday. Everything went their way against Normal West as they made off with a 10-1 victory. The high-scoring effort was just what the Little Giants needed considering they were shut out in their previous contest.
Tori Birch
| 05/10/25 vs Normal West | 8 |
| 05/08/25 @ Metamora | 5 |
| 05/06/25 @ East Peoria | 5 |
Tori Birch was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over four innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run and four RBI. That's the most hits she has posted over her last ten games.
In other batting news, Canton got a massive performance out of Kambell McDermet, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs and one double. That's the most runs McDermet has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Makaylynne Correa, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, Dunlap entered their tilt with Illinois Valley Central on Monday with five consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with six. They never let the Grey Ghosts get on the board and left with a 10-0 win.
The team relied heavily on Hannah Parker, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Another player making a difference was Lexi Hamer, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Dunlap was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .441. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Illinois Valley Central only posted a batting average of .000.
Dunlap's victory was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 22-4. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.1 runs over those games. As for Canton, they moved to 17-8 with that victory, which also ended their three-game losing streak.
Canton suffered a grim 10-3 defeat to Dunlap in their previous meeting back in April. Will the Little Giants have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
