The Willowbrook Warriors will venture away from home to face off against the Oak Park-River Forest Huskies at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Willowbrook will be looking to extend their current ten-game winning streak.
Willowbrook proved they can win big last Thursday (they won by seven) and on Saturday they proved they can win the close ones too. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Lyons 4-2.
Noah Edison spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on three hits and racked up six Ks. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Sam Marrese was excellent, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Alec Ramey, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last match, Oak Park-River Forest made sure to put some runs up on the board against York on Thursday. The Huskies blew past the Dukes 14-4. Considering the Huskies have won 11 games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Oak Park-River Forest has been performing well recently as they've won 19 of their last 23 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 22-9 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.6 runs over those games. As for Willowbrook, they pushed their record up to 22-6 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home.
Saturday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Willowbrook hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .316. However, it's not like Oak Park-River Forest struggles in that department as they've averaged .356. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Willowbrook suffered a grim 13-1 defeat to Oak Park-River Forest in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Warriors avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
