Zion-Benton hasn't had much luck against Libertyville recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Zee-Bees will welcome the Wildcats at 4:45 p.m. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Zion-Benton took a ten-run defeat the last time they faced off against Vernon Hills, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Zee-Bees skirted past the Cougars 7-5. The game was the first time the Zee-Bees have beaten the Cougars on their field since May 12, 2016.
Brayden Duran was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Michael Gonzalez, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two RBI.
Meanwhile, Libertyville entered their tilt with Highland Park on Saturday with three consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with four. They never let the Giants get on the board and left with a 1-0 victory. Give the Wildcats' pitching crew some credit: that's the team's third straight shutout.
Charlie Gretz and Nico Harper dominated on the mound. Gretz pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits, while Harper pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Gretz has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Libertyville's win was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Ryan Wilberding, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
Libertyville pushed their record up to 21-2 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.0 runs on average over those games. As for Zion-Benton, their victory bumped their record up to 6-16.
Zion-Benton might still be hurting after the 10-0 loss they got from Libertyville in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Will the Zee-Bees have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
