The Champaign Central Maroons will take on Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Champaign Central's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Richwoods as they made off with a 15-0 victory. The Maroons haven't had any issues with the Knights recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
Haley Helm
| 04/22/25 vs Richwoods | 7 |
| 04/18/25 @ Effingham | 10 |
| 04/17/25 @ Urbana | 9 |
| 04/16/25 vs Charleston | 13 |
| 04/14/25 @ Mattoon | 8 |
Haley Helm made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out seven over four innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in five consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one double. That stolen base marked the first that she has snagged this season.
In other batting news, Jaila Davis was incredible, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaitlyn Helm, who went 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Champaign Central kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in 15 consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg came tearing into Thursday's game with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 4.3 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They were the clear victors by a 10-0 margin over the Bulldogs.
Like Champaign Central, Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg also got a great game from a two-way player: Samantha Hayes. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Hayes was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Zaida Wascher, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI, one run, and one double. Another player making a difference was Kendra Hayes, who got on base in all three of her plate appearances with three runs and one RBI.
Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg pushed their record up to 18-3 with the victory, which was their 15th straight at home dating back to last season. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.8 runs over those games. As for Champaign Central, their victory bumped their record up to 12-1.
Both Champaign Central and Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg just can't seem to miss. The Maroons have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 13.5 hits per game. However, it's not like Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 2.7 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
