Plainfield East and Joliet West are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2019, but likely not for long. The Bengals will welcome the Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Plainfield East will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Plainfield East and Plainfield South meet (three straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Tuesday. The Bengals came out on top against the Cougars by a score of 6-2. While the Bengals didn't have the best season last year (they finished 13-16), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Jocelyn Cushard
| 04/22/25 @ Plainfield South | 10 |
| 04/18/25 @ Plainfield Central | 8 |
| 04/16/25 vs Downers Grove North | 12 |
Jocelyn Cushard spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on five hits and racked up ten Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Kaleigh Cawthon was a standout: she went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times she's played. Another player making a difference was Corinne Garmon, who went 2-for-4 with one home run and two RBI.
They weren't the only ones working in the home run department: Plainfield East lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now launched at least two home runs in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Joliet West didn't have quite enough to beat Romeoville on Monday and fell 4-3. The Tigers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Joliet West saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Alaina Grohar, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Caitlin Jadron also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Plainfield East's victory bumped their record up to 9-6. As for Joliet West, their loss dropped their record down to 2-10.
Plainfield East was able to grind out a solid win over Joliet West when the teams last played back in May of 2024, winning 6-3. Will the Bengals repeat their success, or do the Tigers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
