The Illinois Valley Central Grey Ghosts will challenge the Hartsburg-Emden Stags at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Illinois Valley Central is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.2 runs per game this season.
Illinois Valley Central is headed into the matchup having just posted their closest victory since May 17, 2024 on Monday. They skirted past Peoria Notre Dame 3-1. The Grey Ghosts haven't had any issues with the Irish recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Emersyn Fleming
| 03/24/25 vs Pontiac | 1 |
| 03/27/25 vs Illini Bluffs | 3 |
| 04/12/25 @ Monticello | 3 |
| 03/18/25 @ Limestone | 4 |
| 04/09/25 vs Bloomington Central Catholic | 4 |
Emersyn Fleming spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on five hits and racked up six Ks. Those six strikeouts set a new season-high mark for her.
At the plate, Abby Bazyn was excellent, scoring a run while going 3-for-3. That's the most hits she has posted over her last ten contests. Another player making a difference was Morgan Ellington, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Illinois Valley Central was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .387. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .300 or higher in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Hartsburg-Emden was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their 15th straight loss dating back to last season. They might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 16-0 to Tri-City, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior.
Hartsburg-Emden's defeat dropped their record down to 0-5. As for Illinois Valley Central, their victory bumped their record up to 9-5.
Illinois Valley Central took their win against Hartsburg-Emden when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 16-0 score. Will the Grey Ghosts repeat their success, or do the Stags have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
