The Calhoun Warriors will take on the O'Fallon Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Calhoun will be strutting in after a victory while O'Fallon will be coming in after a loss.
If Calhoun beats O'Fallon with 13 runs on Friday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two games with that exact score. The Warriors never let Brown County get on the board and left with a 13-0 win on Thursday. Considering the Warriors have won four matchups by more than eight runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Audrey Gilman and Layla Longnecker made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, Gilman struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Meanwhile, Longnecker tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Gilman has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances. At bat, Gilman went 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI, while Longnecker scored two runs while going 1-for-2. That home run was Gilman's first of the season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kiera Sievers, who went 2-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. That triple marked the first that she hit this season. Another player making a difference was Lilly Pelletier, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Calhoun was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .458. The last time their batting average was this high was back in May of 2024.
Meanwhile, O'Fallon came up short against Belleville West on Thursday and fell 6-1.
Ella Klino made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-3.
The victory made it two in a row for Calhoun and bumps their season record up to 7-2. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 1 runs in those games. As for O'Fallon, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-6.
O'Fallon's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Calhoun has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .451. It's a different story for O'Fallon, though, as they've only averaged .319. Will they be able to contain Calhoun's hitters?
Calhoun was able to grind out a solid victory over O'Fallon in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, winning 4-1. Will the Warriors repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
