Baseball Game Preview: Murphysboro Red Devils vs. Herrin Tigers

The Murphysboro Red Devils will face off against the Herrin Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The last three games Murphysboro has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.

On Wednesday, Murphysboro didn't have quite enough to beat Pinckneyville and fell 7-6.

Gage Taylor

Runs

05/07/25 @ Pinckneyville	2
04/18/25 @ Centralia	2
04/15/25 @ Carterville	2
03/29/25 @ Goreville	2
03/24/25 @ Anna-Jonesboro	2
+ 7 more games

Gage Taylor made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs. Murphysboro is 5-2 when Taylor posts two or more runs, but 5-11 otherwise. Mason Bastien was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and one RBI.

Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Herrin duked it out with Carterville last Tuesday. The Tigers fell 5-2 to the Lions. The Tigers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Herrin saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Carter McCree, who went 1-for-3 with one run. Kyrese Lukens also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.

Herrin's loss dropped their record down to 8-12. As for Murphysboro, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost five of their last six matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 10-13 record this season.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Murphysboro has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Herrin struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

Murphysboro came out on top in a nail-biter against Herrin when the teams last played back in April, sneaking past 6-4. Do the Red Devils have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Tigers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.