The Illinois Valley Central Grey Ghosts will venture away from home to face off against the Prairie Central Hawks at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Illinois Valley Central barely beat Pekin the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Grey Ghosts were the clear victors by a 10-3 margin over the Dragons on Tuesday. With that win, the Grey Ghosts brought their scoring average up to 6.3 runs per game.
Sam Griggs
| 04/14/26 vs Pekin | 4 |
| 04/11/26 @ Monticello | 2 |
| 03/31/26 @ Eureka | 2 |
| 03/18/26 vs Farmington | 2 |
| 04/29/25 vs Midwest Central | 2 |
Sam Griggs was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Gabe Perez, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one double.
Illinois Valley Central always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .515. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive games.
Prairie Central came out on top against Hoopeston on Tuesday thanks in part to the team's impressive seven-run first inning. The Hawks blew past the Cornjerkers 13-3. The result was nothing new for the Hawks, who have now won three contests by seven runs or more so far this season.
Noah Niemann spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on five hits.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Easton Friedman, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with six RBI, three doubles, and two runs. Prairie Central is 3-1 when Friedman posts two or more runs, but 2-4 otherwise. Tony Schahrer was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI.
Illinois Valley Central's record now sits at 6-8. As for Prairie Central, the victory got them back to even at 5-5.
Illinois Valley Central was able to grind out a solid win over Prairie Central in their previous matchup back in May of 2025, winning 5-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Grey Ghosts since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
