The Champaign Central Maroons will square off against the Mahomet-Seymour Bulldogs at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Champaign Central is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.9 runs per game this season.
Champaign Central is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They walked away with a 4-1 victory over Rantoul. The win continues a trend for the Maroons in their matchups with the Eagles: they've now won three in a row.
Haley Helm
| 05/28/25 vs Rantoul | 10 |
| 05/23/25 vs Danville | 8 |
| 05/15/25 @ Normal Community | 9 |
| 05/12/25 @ Normal West | 11 |
| 05/10/25 vs Peoria Notre Dame | 15 |
| + 11 more games |
Haley Helm was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out ten over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in 16 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Molly Kloeppel, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since May 3rd. Another player making a difference was Grace Bandy, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one double.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Mahomet-Seymour ultimately got the result they hoped for on Wednesday. They skirted past Danville 2-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Bulldogs have posted since April 21st.
Ainsley Whitaker spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on eight hits and racked up seven Ks.
At the plate, Mahomet-Seymour let Maddie Logsdon and Madi White run wild. Logsdon went 3-for-4 with one double and one RBI, while White went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and one run.
The win made it two in a row for Mahomet-Seymour and bumps their season record up to 15-16. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 2 run in those games. As for Champaign Central, their win bumped their record up to 24-3.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Saturday. Champaign Central hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 1.2 home runs per game. However, it's not like Mahomet-Seymour struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.4 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Champaign Central took their victory against Mahomet-Seymour in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 12-2 score. Do the Maroons have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bulldogs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
