The Dunlap Eagles will head out to square off against the Peoria Notre Dame Irish at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Dunlap will be looking to extend their current five-game winning streak.
On Friday, Dunlap made easy work of Sterling and carried off a 10-3 victory. Considering the Eagles have won 16 matches by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Eli Michanicou made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over four innings pitched. He has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in nine consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with one stolen base and one double.
Christian Ferrari
| 05/16/25 vs Sterling | 2 |
| 05/02/25 vs Galesburg | 1 |
| 05/20/24 @ Springfield | 4 |
In other pitching news, Christian Ferrari looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. What's more, he posted two strikeouts, the most he's had since back in May of 2024.
Back at the plate, Gavin Gibbs was a standout: he went 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Isaac Babbs, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three RBI, two runs, and one double.
Dunlap always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .529. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Sterling only posted an OBP of .364.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 15 runs the game before, Peoria Notre Dame was a bit more limited in their game on Thursday. They lost 10-2 to Limestone. The defeat continues a trend for the Irish in their meetings with the Rockets: they've now lost four in a row.
Joe Culp made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with one triple and one run. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season.
Dunlap's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 22-7. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Peoria Notre Dame, their loss dropped their record down to 13-16.
Saturday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Dunlap hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .344. However, it's not like Peoria Notre Dame struggles in that department as they've averaged .328. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Dunlap came up short against Peoria Notre Dame in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, falling 6-3. Can the Eagles avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
