Vandalia hasn't had much luck against Southwestern recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Vandals will be playing in front of their home fans against the Piasa Birds at 4:30 p.m. The last three games Vandalia has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
On Friday, Vandalia didn't have quite enough to beat Carlinville and fell 7-6.
Mady McCall made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. Elaina Hagy was another key player, going 1-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Southwestern came tearing into Tuesday's matchup with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.7 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Miners 14-7. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Piasa Birds have posted against the Miners since April 30, 2019.
The team relied heavily on Vivian Zurheide, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, six RBI, and two runs. Those six RBI gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Kinley Lucas, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with four runs and one RBI.
Southwestern kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in ten consecutive contests.
Southwestern pushed their record up to 10-3-1 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.2 runs over those games. As for Vandalia, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-13.
Vandalia might still be hurting after the 19-0 loss they got from Southwestern in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Vandals avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
