The Murphysboro Red Devils will take on the Chester Yellowjackets at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Murphysboro took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They walked away with a 7-2 win over Johnston City. The victory continues a trend for the Red Devils in their matchups with the Indians: they've now won three in a row.
Nathan Evans
| 04/28/25 vs Carterville | 6 |
| 03/31/25 vs Jacobs | 6 |
| 04/23/25 vs Carbondale | 4 |
| 05/09/25 vs Herrin | 3 |
| 03/20/25 @ Marion | 1 |
Nathan Evans looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has become a key player for Murphysboro: the team is 5-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 7-13 otherwise.
At the plate, Gage Taylor was excellent, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base. He is becoming a predictor of Murphysboro's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 7-3 (and 5-11 when he doesn't).
For some reason, the away team has come away with the win the last four times Chester and Carlyle have met, but the home crowd finally got their W on Thursday. The Yellowjackets narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past the Indians/Lady Indians 3-1.
Chester saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kolton Jany, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one RBI.
Murphysboro pushed their record up to 12-14 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.0 runs over those games. As for Chester, their victory bumped their record up to 11-12.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Murphysboro has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Chester struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Murphysboro came out on top in a nail-biter against Chester when the teams last played back in May of 2024, sneaking past 4-2. Do the Red Devils have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Yellowjackets turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
