vs
| 04/25/24 - Away | 13-7 W |
| 03/20/23 - Home | 14-5 W |
| 03/21/22 - Away | 16-8 W |
| 05/15/21 - Home | 9-8 W |
| 04/11/21 - Neutral | 9-8 W |
| + 2 more games |
Herscher is a perfect 7-0 against Grant Park since March of 2017 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Wednesday. The Tigers will be playing at home against the Dragons at 4:30 p.m. Herscher is coming into the game hot, having won their last four games.
Herscher's usually-dominant pitching crew will be looking to make up for Tuesday's struggle, when Reed-Custer hitters got past them. The Tigers came out on top against the Comets by a score of 14-10 on Tuesday.
Gaige Brown and Tanner Jones did most of the damage at the plate: Brown went 4-for-5 with three runs, three RBI, and two doubles, while Jones went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. That's the most RBI Jones has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Mason Roberts, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Grant Park, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. They walked away with a 7-4 victory over Momence on Friday.
Dean Malkowski and Nolan Olthoff made a splash while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Malkowski tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Olthoff struck out nine batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits. He has become a key player for Grant Park: the team is 2-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 3-4 otherwise. At the plate, Malkowski went 1-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double, while Olthoff got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one triple and one run. That double was Malkowski's first of the season.
In other batting news, Joey McGinley was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Aiden Overbeek, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Herscher's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 16-3. As for Grant Park, the victory got them back to even at 5-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Herscher has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Grant Park struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Herscher took their win against Grant Park in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 13-7 score. Will the Tigers repeat their success, or do the Dragons have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
