Softball Game Preview: Meridian Hawks vs. Sullivan Redskins

Hawks

Runs

04/12/25 @ Sangamon Valley/Tri-City	2
04/09/25 vs Taylorville	18
04/08/25 @ Clinton	11
04/01/25 @ Central A & M	7
03/31/25 vs Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond	11
+ 5 more games

Meridian has gone a perfect 10-0 against Sullivan recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Wednesday. The Hawks will head out on the road to challenge the Redskins at 4:30 p.m. Meridian is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9 runs per game this season.

Meridian is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 18 runs on Wednesday, they were much more limited against Sangamon Valley/Tri-City on Saturday. They fell just short of the Storm by a score of 3-2. The defeat continues a trend for the Hawks in their meetings with the Storm: they've now lost six in a row.

Meridian saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Madi Kapchinske, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI.

Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Sullivan ultimately got the result they hoped for on Tuesday. They won by a run and slipped past Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond 13-12. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Redskins.

Harmony Ray was incredible, going 3-for-6 with one home run and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Taylar Mercer, who went 2-for-5 with one home run and two runs.

Sullivan kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 17 hits. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their hit total in three consecutive matchups.

Meridian's loss dropped their record down to 8-2. As for Sullivan, their win bumped their record up to 10-6.

Sullivan's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Meridian has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.3 hits per game. It's a different story for Sullivan, though, as they've been averaging 9.6 hits. Given Meridian's sizable advantage in that area, the Redskins will need to find a way to close that gap.

Meridian took their victory against Sullivan in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 13-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hawks since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.