The Milford Bearcats will head out on the road to challenge the Hoopeston Cornjerkers at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Milford will be strutting in after a victory while Hoopeston will be coming in after a defeat.
It was a proper cat-fight when Milford faced off against Chrisman on Monday. The Bearcats put the hurt on the Cardinals with a sharp 13-0 win. The Bearcats haven't had any issues with the Cardinals recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Kami Muehling made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits over five innings pitched. Muehling was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Addison Lucht was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. Jossalin Lavicka also deserves some recognition as she launched her first home run of the season.
Milford lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. That's the most home runs they've posted since the start of last season.
Meanwhile, Hoopeston was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 9-8 heartbreaker at the hands of Oakwood.
Like Milford, Hoopeston also got a great game from a two-way player: Maddie Barnes. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 12 batters over 6.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and seven unearned) runs off eight hits. With that strong performance, Barnes is now averaging an impressive 5.2 strikeouts per game. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
In other batting news, Kinzley Bailey and Addyson Kelnhofer stepped up to the plate in a big way. Bailey went 3-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double, while Kelnhofer went 1-for-4 with one home run and three RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Macy Warner, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
Hoopeston's defeat dropped their record down to 4-7. As for Milford, their record now sits at 8-5.
Everything went Milford's way against Hoopeston in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, as Milford made off with a 13-3 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bearcats since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
