The Kewanee Boilermakers will face off against the Ridgewood [AlWood/Cambridge] Spartans at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Kewanee is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.1 runs per game this season.
Kewanee's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They were the clear victors by a 9-0 margin over Orion. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
The result came thanks to Kalleigh Gale's shutout, as she gave up just five hits and racked up 15 Ks. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one walk in seven consecutive appearances.
Audrey Clucas
| 04/18/25 vs Orion | 3 |
| 04/15/25 vs Farmington | 2 |
| 04/14/25 @ Hall | 1 |
| 04/10/25 vs Erie-Prophetstown | 1 |
| 03/31/25 @ Bureau Valley | 1 |
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Audrey Clucas, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. Those three hits gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Kieryn Abernathy, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Kewanee was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .333 or higher in five consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Ridgewood [AlWood/Cambridge] waltzed into their game on Tuesday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 1-0 W against the Storm.
Not much got past Gabby Dean, who gave up just three hits and racked up seven Ks to keep Bureau Valley off the board.
On the hitting side, Ridgewood [AlWood/Cambridge]'s win was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Mackenzie Peck, who went 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Kewanee has been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-6 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.7 runs over those games. As for Ridgewood [AlWood/Cambridge], their win bumped their record up to 9-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Kewanee has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Ridgewood [AlWood/Cambridge] struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Kewanee couldn't quite finish off Ridgewood [AlWood/Cambridge] in their previous meeting back in April of 2023 and fell 11-9. Can the Boilermakers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
