Reed-Custer and Coal City are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2021, but likely not for long. The Comets are taking a road trip to take on the Coalers at 4:33 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Coal City will challenge a team with plenty of momentum: Reed-Custer extended their winning streak to three on Friday. The Comets put the hurt on Prairie Central with a sharp 16-1 victory. With that win, the Comets brought their scoring average up to 6.4 runs per game.
Brady Tyree
| 05/16/25 @ Prairie Central | 5 |
| 05/13/25 @ Lisle | 2 |
| 04/29/25 vs Peotone | 2 |
| 05/09/25 @ Seneca | 1 |
| 04/28/25 @ Peotone | 1 |
The team relied heavily on Brady Tyree, who fired off two home runs, five RBI, and three runs while going 2-for-2. Those five RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Landen Robinson, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI.
Reed-Custer always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .655. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Coal City never let their opponents score on Monday. They were the clear victors by a 12-0 margin over Newark. The Coalers haven't had any issues with the Norsemen recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Lance Cuddy was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. He was even better at the plate, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with two stolen bases and three runs.
In other batting news, Coal City let Gavin Berger and Gabe McHugh run wild. Berger got on base in all three of his plate appearances with two runs and two RBI, while McHugh went 1-for-2 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Dylan Young was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two RBI.
Coal City's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 22-11. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games. As for Reed-Custer, their record now sits at 18-12.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Reed-Custer hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like Coal City struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.5 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Reed-Custer came out on top in a nail-biter against Coal City when the teams last played two weeks ago, sneaking past 4-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Comets since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
