The Beecher Bobcats will take on the Illiana Christian Vikings at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Illiana Christian's hitters are going to have their work cut out for them on Wednesday: Beecher hadn't allowed a single run the last three times they've hit the field. The Bobcats' pitcher stepped up to hand Illinois Lutheran a 16-0 shutout on Tuesday.
Taylor Norkus made a splash no matter where she played. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out eight over four innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in ten consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI, one run, and one double. Those four RBI gave her a new career-high.
Maddy Grooms
| 04/22/25 vs Illinois Lutheran | 2 |
| 04/19/25 vs Momence | 1 |
| 04/12/25 vs Hebron | 1 |
| 04/08/25 @ Donovan | 1 |
| 03/27/25 @ Gardner-South Wilmington | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Maddy Grooms, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. Those two RBI gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Mia Chavez, who went 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Beecher always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .630. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Illinois Lutheran only posted an OBP of .000.
Meanwhile, Illiana Christian made easy work of River Forest on Tuesday and carried off a 17-0 win. The victory continues a trend for the Vikings in their matchups with the Ingots: they've now won four in a row.
Like Beecher, Illiana Christian also got a great game from a two-way player: Emmy Jansma. Throwing, Jansma pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Olivia Daliege tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. At bat, Jansma went 1-for-3 with three runs, four RBI, and one stolen base, while Daliege went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases and two runs. That stolen base was Jansma's first of the season.
In other batting news, Illiana Christian got a massive performance out of Mya VanderWoude, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, four RBI, and one triple. That triple marked the first that VanderWoude has hit this season. Lauren Kreykes was another key player, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with three stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI.
Beecher's win was their 17th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 17-0. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average this season. As for Illiana Christian, they picked up their first home win, bumping their record up to 5-3.
Illiana Christian's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Wednesday. Beecher has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.5 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Illiana Christian, though, as they've been averaging only 4 strikeouts. Will Beecher keep running through batters, or will the Vikings buck the trend?
Beecher skirted past Illiana Christian 3-2 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Will the Bobcats repeat their success, or do the Vikings have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
