The Mercer County Golden Eagles will venture away from home to square off against the East Moline United Panthers at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday.
On Friday, Mercer County didn't have quite enough to beat Kewanee and fell 5-4.
Kale Breeden made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with two runs and one triple. That triple was his first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Carson Boelens, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for East Moline United, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They had just enough and edged out Quincy 10-9 on Wednesday. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Panthers' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Issac Roman made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over 4.1 innings pitched. He has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than one walk in 14 consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, Zach Darras was a standout: he went 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one double. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Dominic Stottler, who went 2-for-5 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one double.
East Moline United was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .433. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Quincy only posted a batting average of .300.
East Moline United is on a roll lately: they've won 14 of their last 17 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-9 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.4 runs over those games. As for Mercer County, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost ten of their last 11 matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 9-15 record this season.
Mercer County suffered a grim 12-2 defeat to East Moline United when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can the Golden Eagles avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
