Oakwood hasn't had much luck against Covington recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Comets will venture away from home to take on the Trojans at 4:30 p.m. Oakwood is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.6 runs per game this season.
Oakwood is headed into the match having just posted their closest victory since April 29, 2024 on Monday. They had just enough and edged out Hoopeston 9-8. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Comets.
Irene Rangel was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up five earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits. Rangel was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and three RBI.
In other batting news, Bella Bradford and Emberlyn Schull did most of the damage at the plate: Bradford went a perfect 4-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one triple, while Schull got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one triple. Those two stolen bases gave Schull a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Lainee Smith, who went 1-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.
North Montgomery hit Covington with a four-run second inning on Monday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Trojans lost 13-2 to the Chargin' Chargers. The Trojans have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Covington saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Landrie Sutton, who went 1-for-2 with one run and one double.
Oakwood now has a winning record of 8-7-1. As for Covington, their loss dropped their record down to 3-6.
Covington's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday. Oakwood has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.5 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Covington, though, as they've been averaging only 2.9 strikeouts. Will Oakwood keep running through batters, or will the Trojans buck the trend?
Oakwood suffered a grim 13-4 defeat to Covington in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Comets avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
