The Mercer County Golden Eagles will head out to face off against the Riverdale Rams at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Riverdale will be up against a hot Mercer County squad: the team just extended their winning streak to five. The Golden Eagles put the hurt on Kewanee with a sharp 11-1 win on Friday.
Elsie Cook made a splash while hitting and pitching. She tossed five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 15 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one RBI.
In other batting news, Mercer County got a massive performance out of Payton Ruggles, who went 3-for-4 with one home run and four RBI. That's the most RBI Ruggles has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Kelsie Weeks, who went 1-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
Mercer County always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .583. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Kewanee only posted an OBP of .211.
Meanwhile, Riverdale made easy work of Erie-Prophetstown on Friday and carried off an 11-3 victory. The win continues a trend for the Rams in their matchups with the Panthers: they've now won five in a row.
Like Mercer County, Riverdale also got a great game from a two-way player: Danika Saddoris. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing seven innings while giving up three earned runs off six hits. Saddoris was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Brooklyn Peterson, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and one double. Madi Ketelsen also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
Mercer County's record now sits at 19-4. As for Riverdale, their record is now 16-4.
Both the two teams just can't seem to miss. Mercer County has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.6 hits per game. However, it's not like Riverdale struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 5.4 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
