vs
| 05/18/24 - Home | 5-0 W |
| 04/25/24 - Home | 7-6 W |
| 04/27/23 - Away | 8-9 L |
| 04/28/22 - Home | 11-13 L |
| 04/26/18 - Away | 3-4 L |
| + 5 more games |
Illini West and Macomb are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2016, but likely not for long. The Chargers will head out to take on the Bombers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Illini West is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.8 runs per game this season.
Illini West's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They walked away with a 3-0 victory over Mendon Unity. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Chargers.
Nick Bruns was excellent, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one run and one double. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Carter Chapin, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, Macomb had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. They came out on top against the Titans by a score of 10-5.
Macomb also got a great performance from Blaine Eddington as he struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. Eddington has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Emmett Beck, who went 3-for-5 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Macomb is undefeated when Beck posts three or more RBI, but 5-13 otherwise. Drew Watson was another key player, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with four runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Macomb was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .382. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .345 or higher in three consecutive matchups.
Illini West's record is now 17-7. As for Macomb, their record now sits at 9-13.
Illini West was able to grind out a solid win over Macomb in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, winning 5-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Chargers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
