Chester has gone 8-2 against Sparta recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Yellowjackets will welcome the Bulldogs at 4:30 p.m. Chester is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.1 runs per game this season.
Chester faced off against New Athens in a bug-themed battle on Wednesday. The Yellowjackets came out on top against the Yellow Jackets by a score of 7-3. The win continues a trend for the Yellowjackets in their matchups with the Yellow Jackets: they've now won three in a row.
Maggie Caby made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Caby was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two runs.
Elaina Lutman
| 04/23/25 @ New Athens | 3 |
| 04/09/25 vs Dupo | 2 |
| 03/17/25 vs DuQuoin | 2 |
| 04/01/25 vs Breese Central | 1 |
In other batting news, Elaina Lutman was incredible, going 3-for-5 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high. Marlie Caby was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Chester was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .375. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as New Athens only posted a batting average of .160.
Meanwhile, Sparta was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They fell 6-3 to Chester.
Autumn White spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and four unearned) runs on eight hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Sparta saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kenzie Pierce, who went 2-for-3 with one run. Another was Carly Gerlach, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Chester's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 13-4. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Sparta, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-11.
Sparta's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Chester has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.8 hits per game. It's a different story for Sparta, though, as they've been averaging 10.1 hits. Given Chester's sizable advantage in that area, the Bulldogs will need to find a way to close that gap.
Chester was able to grind out a solid victory over Sparta when the teams last played on Tuesday, winning 6-3. Do the Yellowjackets have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bulldogs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
