The Havana Ducks will venture away from home to challenge the Illini West Chargers at 2:00 p.m. on Friday. Havana's pitching crew has only allowed 3.8 runs per game this season, so Illini West's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Havana will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Saturday, then bounced right back against Astoria/VIT on Monday. The Ducks blew past the Rebels 15-0. The result was nothing new for the Ducks, who have now won four games by ten runs or more so far this season.
Havana let Kaydi Miller and Addie Atwater run wild. Miller scored three runs while going 3-for-4, while Atwater went 1-for-4 with four RBI, one triple, and one stolen base. That stolen base was Atwater's first of the season. Maddie Howerter was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Havana was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .409. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Astoria/VIT only posted a batting average of .143.
Meanwhile, Illini West was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They fell 7-3 to Farmington.
Illini West saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Natalie Wibbell, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Havana is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven contests. That somehow still isn't as good as their 9-1-1 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.7 runs over those games. As for Illini West, their loss dropped their record down to 6-12.
Illini West's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Havana has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .444. It's a different story for Illini West, though, as they've only averaged .349. Will they be able to contain Havana's hitters?
Havana couldn't quite finish off Illini West when the teams last played back in April of 2024 and fell 13-11. Can the Ducks avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
