The O'Fallon Panthers will venture away from home to face off against the Belleville West Maroons at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
O'Fallon was handed a 17-run defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Tuesday. They skirted past Alton 1-0.
Kennedy Clark
| 04/01/25 vs Alton | 12 |
| 03/28/25 vs Plainfield North | 7 |
| 03/25/25 vs Mater Dei | 3 |
| 03/22/25 vs Freeburg | 3 |
| 03/20/25 @ Granite City | 2 |
| + 1 more games |
Not much got past Kennedy Clark, who gave up just a hit and racked up 12 Ks to keep Alton off the board. With that strong performance, Clark is now averaging an impressive 5.7 strikeouts per game.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Ella Klino, who went 2-for-3 with one home run.
Meanwhile, Belleville West gave up the first runs on Tuesday, but they didn't let that get them down. They blew past Collinsville 11-2. That nine run margin sets a new team best for the Maroons this season.
Ellaina Jenkins was a major factor no matter where she played. She struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. Jenkins was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. That stolen base marked the first that she snagged this season.
In other batting news, Belleville West let Addison Geluck and Charli Coppernoll run wild. Geluck scored two runs while going 2-for-3, while Coppernoll scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Those runs were Geluck's first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaylee Asher, who went 2-for-3 with four RBI.
Belleville West kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Collinsville only managed five hits.
Belleville West is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 3-3 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.5 runs over those games. As for O'Fallon, their record is now 3-5.
Everything went O'Fallon's way against Belleville West when the teams last played back in April of 2024, as O'Fallon made off with a 14-3 victory. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Maroons turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
