The Mercer County Golden Eagles will square off against the Kewanee Boilermakers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Kewanee took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Mercer County, who comes in off a win.
Having struggled with nine defeats in a row, Mercer County turned things around against Monmouth-Roseville on Thursday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Titans, sneaking past 9-8. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Golden Eagles have posted since April 14th.
Mason Gray
| 05/01/25 vs Monmouth-Roseville | 3 |
| 04/16/25 @ Fulton | 3 |
| 04/12/25 vs Erie-Prophetstown | 3 |
| 04/25/25 vs Newman Central Catholic | 2 |
| 04/17/25 vs Rockridge | 1 |
| + 6 more games |
Mason Gray was incredible, going a perfect 5-for-5 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. He has become a key player for Mercer County: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least three RBI, but 7-13 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Carson Boelens, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Kewanee suffered their closest loss since March 21, 2024 on Thursday. They fell just short of Princeton by a score of 6-4.
Colson Welgat put in work while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run.
Welgat wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Logan Peed, who went 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Kewanee's defeat dropped their record down to 9-12. As for Mercer County, their victory bumped their record up to 9-14.
Mercer County came out on top in a nail-biter against Kewanee in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, sneaking past 4-2. Will the Golden Eagles repeat their success, or do the Boilermakers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
