The Midwest Central/Illini Central Raiders will head out on the road to take on the Williamsville Bullets at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Midwest Central/Illini Central took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They walked away with a 6-2 win over New Berlin/Franklin/Waverly. The Raiders' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
| 04/08/25 vs New Berlin/Franklin/Waverly | 2 |
| 04/01/25 vs Morton | 6 |
| 03/18/25 vs Pleasant Plains | 7 |
| 04/07/25 @ Athens | 8 |
| 03/17/25 @ Eureka | 11 |
Lexi Wood spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on eight hits. The game marked her first with multiple earned runs this season.
At the plate, Grace Meeks was incredible, scoring a run and stealing three bases while going 3-for-4. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 1.2 stolen bases per game. Mia Warner also deserves some recognition as she hit her first doubles of the season.
Meanwhile, Williamsville was able to grind out a solid victory over Sacred Heart-Griffin on Wednesday, taking the game 7-4. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Bullets.
Lucy Nell made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 3-for-3. Those three hits gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Reese Larson, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, one stolen base, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Norah Dodsworth, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Midwest Central/Illini Central's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-5. As for Williamsville, their record now sits at 5-2.
Midwest Central/Illini Central might still be hurting after the 11-1 defeat they got from Williamsville in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. Can the Raiders avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
