Canton and Pekin are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2018, but likely not for long. The Little Giants will host the Dragons at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Canton's pitching crew has only allowed 3.2 runs per game this season, so Pekin's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Canton took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Macomb a 7-0 shutout. Considering the Little Giants have won seven contests by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Lilliana Horton
| 03/31/25 @ Eureka | 1 |
| 04/09/25 @ Illini Bluffs | 2 |
| 04/15/25 @ Metamora | 2 |
| 03/27/25 vs Richwoods | 7 |
| 03/28/25 vs Pearl City | 8 |
Not much got past Lilliana Horton, who gave up just four hits and racked up 11 Ks to keep Macomb off the board. Those 11 strikeouts set a new season-high mark for Horton.
On the hitting side, Canton let Allison Wheeler and Tori Birch run wild. Wheeler went 2-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base, while Birch went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run. Another player making a difference was Natalie Downing, who went 1-for-2 with two runs.
Meanwhile, Pekin didn't have quite enough to beat Metamora on Thursday and fell 4-3. The Dragons have struggled against the Redbirds recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost meeting.
Zoe Lindahl put in work while hitting and pitching. She pitched seven innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits. Lindahl was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run.
Lindahl wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Kylea Siedell, who went 1-for-2 with one run and one double.
Canton pushed their record up to 10-3 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for Pekin, their loss dropped their record down to 7-4.
Canton might still be hurting after the 10-0 defeat they got from Pekin in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Will the Little Giants 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.
