The Oak Park-River Forest Huskies will square off against the Amundsen Vikings at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Oak Park-River Forest is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last six games.
Oak Park-River Forest barely beat York the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Huskies blew past the Dukes 14-6 on Friday. Considering the Huskies have won 11 games by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Oak Park-River Forest let Julia Mattiace and Elyssa Hasapis run wild. Mattiace went 2-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and one double, while Hasapis went 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Avery Lane, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Oak Park-River Forest kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 12 hits in seven consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, after some red-hot attacks at the plate in their last four matchups, Amundsen finally came back down to earth on Thursday. They fell just short of Lane Tech by a score of 3-2. The Vikings' loss signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.
Amundsen saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Frances Oliver, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double. Nyla Carraway also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Oak Park-River Forest's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-4. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.8 runs over those games. As for Amundsen, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-6.
Saturday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Oak Park-River Forest has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .475. However, it's not like Amundsen struggles in that department as they've averaged .455. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Oak Park-River Forest took their victory against Amundsen when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 10-0 score. Will the Huskies repeat their success, or do the Vikings have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
