The Bradley-Bourbonnais Boilermakers will head out on the road to challenge the Lockport Porters at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Bradley-Bourbonnais' pitching crew has only allowed 3.6 runs per game this season, so Lockport's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Bradley-Bourbonnais blew Oak Forest out of the water the last time the pair played, but on Wednesday Oak Forest got their revenge. The Boilermakers fell just short of the Bengals by a score of 4-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Boilermakers have suffered since April 8th.
Abbie Hofbauer
| 04/30/25 vs Oak Forest | 1 |
| 04/26/25 @ Yorkville | 1 |
| 04/22/25 vs Lincoln-Way Central | 1 |
| 04/15/25 @ Lincoln-Way West | 2 |
| 04/14/25 vs Seneca | 1 |
Abbie Hofbauer was huge no matter where she played even without the win. She pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one double.
Hofbauer wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Olivia Woolman, who went 2-for-4 with one home run.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Lockport, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-1 win over Naperville Central on Saturday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Like Bradley-Bourbonnais, Lockport also got a great game from a two-way player: Kelcie McGraw. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 15 over seven innings pitched. McGraw was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one double and one RBI.
Lockport is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-9 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.1 runs on average over those games. As for Bradley-Bourbonnais, their loss dropped their record down to 11-8.
Monday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Bradley-Bourbonnais hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .321. However, it's not like Lockport struggles in that department as they've averaged .314. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Bradley-Bourbonnais was able to grind out a solid win over Lockport in their previous meeting back in April, winning 5-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Boilermakers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
