Baseball Recap: Rock Falls Wins Going Away Against Stillman Valley

Rock Falls barely beat Stillman Valley the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Rockets were the clear victors by a 9-3 margin over the Cardinals on Thursday. The victory continues a trend for the Rockets in their matchups with the Cardinals: they've now won five in a row.

Carter Hunter

Earned Runs

04/03/25 vs Freeport	3
04/10/25 @ Stillman Valley	1

Ethan Mathews and Carter Hunter made a splash while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Mathews pitched 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Hunter struck out six batters over 5.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. He is becoming a predictor of Rock Falls' success: when he allows at most three earned runs the team is 2-0-1 (and 3-4 when he doesn't). At bat, Mathews scored a run and stole three bases while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances, while Hunter scored a run while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Austin Castaneda, who scored three runs and stole six bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. He has become a key player for Rock Falls: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 2-4-1 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Owen Mandrell, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.

Rock Falls always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .523. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Stillman Valley only posted an OBP of .333.

Rock Falls now has a winning record of 5-4-1. As for Stillman Valley, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 4-8.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Rock Falls will head out to square off against Sterling at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The Rockets are facing the Golden Warriors at the right time seeing as the Golden Warriors are stuck on a five-game losing streak. As for Stillman Valley, they are taking a road trip to face off against Freeport at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday.