West Chicago is 2-8 against Bartlett since May of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Wildcats will take on the Hawks at 4:30 p.m. West Chicago will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each matchup than the last.
West Chicago is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Everything went their way against Elgin on Wednesday as they made off with a 15-4 win. The Wildcats have beaten the Maroons the last seven times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Maroons has come to flipping the script.
Sam Zalak made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off four hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. That stolen base marked the first that he has snagged this season.
Anderson Campbell
| 04/22/26 @ Elgin | 3 |
| 04/20/26 @ Fenton | 1 |
| 03/23/26 vs Addison Trail | 1 |
| 03/21/26 @ St. Charles East | 1 |
In other batting news, Anderson Campbell was a standout: he went 3-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Liam Zbierski, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
West Chicago kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 18 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 4.3 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 9.2.
Meanwhile, Bartlett didn't have quite enough to beat West Aurora on Tuesday and fell 3-1. The loss continues a trend for the Hawks in their meetings with the Blackhawks: they've now lost seven in a row.
Bartlett saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Josh Colaizzi, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI.
West Chicago's record now sits at 5-12-1. As for Bartlett, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-8.
West Chicago came out on top in a nail-biter against Bartlett in their previous meeting back in April of 2025, sneaking past 4-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wildcats since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
