St. Charles North has won eight straight games at home, while Lincoln-Way Central has won eight straight on the road dating back to last season, but those streaks won't matter much on Thursday. The North Stars will welcome the Knights at 5:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (St. Charles North 3.5, Lincoln-Way Central 2) so any runs scored will be well earned.
St. Charles North barely beat Batavia the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The North Stars never let the Bulldogs get on the board and left with a 13-0 victory on Wednesday. The result was nothing new for the North Stars, who have now won nine matchups by six runs or more so far this season.
Paige Murray
| 05/07/25 vs Batavia | 8 |
| 05/05/25 @ Wheaton North | 11 |
| 04/30/25 vs Lake Park | 8 |
Paige Murray made a splash while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out eight over five innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one RBI.
In other batting news, St. Charles North got a massive performance out of Abby Zawadzki, who went 1-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Zawadzki is on a roll when it comes to RBI, as she's now brought in three or more in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Addy Umlauf, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBI.
St. Charles North was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .522. The last time their batting average was this high was back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Lincoln-Way Central ultimately got the result they hoped for on Wednesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 7-6 win over Lincoln-Way West. The victory continues a trend for the Knights in their matchups with the Warriors: they've now won eight in a row.
Like St. Charles North, Lincoln-Way Central also got a great game from a two-way player: Lisabella Dimitrijevic. On the mound, she tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Dimitrijevic was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-5 with one home run and three RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Mia Degliomini, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double. Ellie McLaughlin was another key player, getting on base in four of her five plate appearances with one run.
St. Charles North is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 12 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-4 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.7 runs over those games. As for Lincoln-Way Central, their victory bumped their record up to 20-1.
Both St. Charles North and Lincoln-Way Central just can't seem to miss. The North Stars have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.3 hits per game. However, it's not like Lincoln-Way Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 3.6 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
