Cuba/Spoon River Valley is 1-9 against Illini Bluffs since April of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Wildcats will host the Tigers at 4:30 p.m. After the two teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Thursday.
Cuba/Spoon River Valley is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past ROWVA/Williamsfield 19-9 on Tuesday. Considering the Wildcats have won eight matches by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Meanwhile, Illini Bluffs got the win against Midwest Central on Wednesday by a conclusive 8-2. The victory continues a trend for the Tigers in their matchups with the Raiders: they've now won three in a row.
Will Giftos spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on three hits and racked up seven Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Brayden Fargher and Toby Cooper did most of the damage at the plate: Fargher went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two doubles, and one run, while Cooper got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Those two doubles gave Fargher a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Brendan Bacon, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double.
Illini Bluffs was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .407. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Illini Bluffs pushed their record up to 9-5 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for Cuba/Spoon River Valley, they now have a winning record of 10-9.
Cuba/Spoon River Valley couldn't quite get it done against Illini Bluffs in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 as they fell 4-0. Will the Wildcats 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 baseball content.
