The O'Fallon Panthers will head out on the road to square off against the Waterloo Bulldogs at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (O'Fallon 4, Waterloo 1.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.
While O'Fallon didn't have the best season last year (they finished 13-19), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They came out on top against Mater Dei by a score of 6-3 on Tuesday.
Kennedy Clark made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She tossed seven innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two runs and one stolen base. That hit marked the first that she has got this season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Avery Phillips, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Sophie Wilhelm, who went 1-for-3 with one home run.
O'Fallon lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Waterloo is still undefeated this season after their contest against Belleville East on Monday, but Belleville East came as close as anyone has to beating them. The Bulldogs came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 1-0 W against the Lancers. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Bulldogs have posted since May 5, 2025.
Not much got past Aidan Dintelman, who gave up just four hits and racked up six Ks to keep Belleville East off the board.
On the hitting side, Waterloo saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Addy Juelfs, who went 1-for-3 with one double.
O'Fallon's record now sits at 4-1. As for Waterloo, their record is now 6-0.
Wednesday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. O'Fallon hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .314. However, it's not like Waterloo struggles in that department as they've averaged .367. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
O'Fallon suffered a grim 7-0 defeat to Waterloo in their previous matchup back in March of 2025. Can the Panthers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
