The Rock Falls Rockets will face off against the Genoa-Kingston Cogs at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Rock Falls' pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They put the hurt on Byron with a sharp 10-0 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Rockets.
Kendra Scott was a standout: she went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Abbie Baldwin, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Rock Falls kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.3 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 matchups they've averaged 10.2.
Meanwhile, Genoa-Kingston got the win against Lutheran on Monday by a conclusive 16-1. The result was nothing new for the Cogs, who have now won eight contests by seven runs or more so far this season.
Emma Kuschel was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Kuschel was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Lily Stiles and Arielle Rich did most of the damage at the plate: Stiles went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI, while Rich went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those three runs gave Stiles a new career-high. Brynn Bridger was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
The win got Genoa-Kingston back to even at 12-12. As for Rock Falls, their victory bumped their record up to 9-15.
Genoa-Kingston's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday. Rock Falls has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.4 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Genoa-Kingston, though, as they've been averaging only 3.1 strikeouts. Will Rock Falls keep running through batters, or will the Cogs buck the trend?
Rock Falls couldn't quite finish off Genoa-Kingston when the teams last played back in April and fell 2-0. Will the Rockets have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
