The Centralia Orphans will challenge the Murphysboro Red Devils at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The timing is sure in Centralia's favor as the squad sits on eight straight wins at home while Murphysboro has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.
On Wednesday, Centralia needed a bit of extra time to put away Mt. Vernon. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Rams, sneaking past 2-1. The Orphans haven't had any issues with the Rams recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Meanwhile, Murphysboro narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past O'Fallon 6-5.
Ayla Smith and Arianna Smith made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Smith tossed two innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Meanwhile, Arianna struck out six batters over six innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits (and only one walk). Ayla has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 16 consecutive appearances. At the plate, Smith went 2-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base, while Arianna went 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Blaire Fox, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one double. Cadence Fox was another, earning one RBI, one run, and one stolen base.
Centralia's victory bumped their record up to 16-2. As for Murphysboro, their win bumped their record up to 7-18.
Centralia might still be hurting after the 15-5 defeat they got from Murphysboro in their previous matchup back in May of 2023. Can the Orphans avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
