East Alton-Wood River is 0-4 against Salem since April of 2022 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The East Alton-Wood River Oilers will look to defend their home field against the Salem Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. East Alton-Wood River will be hoping to continue their four-game streak of scoring more runs each match than the last.
East Alton-Wood River scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Saturday. They blew past North Greene 18-1. With that win, East Alton-Wood River brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Haley Pratt made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. Pratt was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, East Alton-Wood River got a massive performance out of Chloe Driver, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 1-for-4. Jayde Kassler was another key contributor, scoring three runs while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Salem had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9.3 runs), and they went ahead and made it four on Saturday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Spartans a 4-0 shutout.
Like East Alton-Wood River, Salem also got a great game from a two-way player: Lilly Blagoue. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and only one hit while striking out 14 over seven innings pitched. Blagoue has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in six consecutive pitching appearances. Blagoue was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with a home run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Olivia Paulson, who went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one home run the last three times she's played.
East Alton-Wood River's victory bumped their record up to 3-9. As for Salem, they pushed their record up to 11-2 with that win, which was their fourth straight on the road.
East Alton-Wood River's speedy runners might be the difference in Tuesday's matchup. East Alton-Wood River has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.8 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Salem, though, as they've been averaging only 1.1. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will East Alton-Wood River continue to outrun the ball?
East Alton-Wood River suffered a grim 24-3 defeat to Salem in their previous meeting back in May of 2023. Can East Alton-Wood River avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
