The Plainfield East Bengals will challenge the Neuqua Valley Wildcats at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Plainfield East will be looking to extend their current six-game winning streak.
If Plainfield East beats Neuqua Valley with three runs on Saturday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two matches with that exact score. The Bengals never let Romeoville get on the board and left with a 3-0 win on Thursday.
Jocelyn Cushard
| 04/24/25 @ Romeoville | 10 |
| 04/22/25 @ Plainfield South | 10 |
| 04/18/25 @ Plainfield Central | 8 |
| 04/16/25 vs Downers Grove North | 12 |
The result came thanks to Jocelyn Cushard's shutout, as she gave up just a hit and racked up ten Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Plainfield East saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Marie Marcum, who went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI. Corinne Garmon also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Neuqua Valley and Naperville North meet (four straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Wednesday. The Wildcats walked away with an 11-7 victory over the Huskies.
Ava Drehs tossed a big game, striking out 19 batters over 7.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits (and not a single walk). Those 19 strikeouts gave her a new career-high.
At the plate, Tegan Spellerberg and Cora Dickson did most of the damage at the plate: Spellerberg went 3-for-7 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base, while Dickson went 4-for-6 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. That's the most runs Dickson has posted since back in March. Esha Argawal was another key player, going 2-for-6 with two RBI and one double.
Neuqua Valley kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 18 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 4.6 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 9.6.
Plainfield East pushed their record up to 11-6 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Neuqua Valley, their win bumped their record up to 7-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Plainfield East has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Neuqua Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Plainfield East skirted past Neuqua Valley 7-6 in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. Do the Bengals have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Wildcats turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
