The Coal City Coalers will be playing at home against the Morris Redskins at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Coal City has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the game with three straight defeats, while Morris will come in with three straight victories.
Coal City lost 12-5 to Manteno on Tuesday.
Kaycee Graf made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-2. Abby Gagliardo was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Morris put the finishing touches on their ninth blowout victory of the season on Wednesday. They were the clear victor by a 16-2 margin over Rochelle.
Tessa Shannon spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on three hits and racked up 12 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Halie Olson was incredible, going 4-for-5 with four RBI, two runs, and two doubles. The team also got some help courtesy of Karson Dransfeldt, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Coal City's loss dropped their record down to 20-9. As for Morris, they pushed their record up to 16-9 with that win, which was their fourth straight on the road.
Thursday's matchup will be a test for both team's pitchers. Coal City hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .398. However, it's not like Morris struggles in that department as they've averaged .345. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Coal City came out on top in a nail-biter against Morris in their previous meeting back in May of 2023, sneaking past 2-1. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Morris' Ella Davis, who pitched seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. Now that she won't be playing on Thursday, will it be that much easier for Coal City to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
