Astoria/VIT has enjoyed a six-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the Illini West Chargers at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Astoria/VIT hasn't scored more than two runs for three games straight, a trend the team is eager to reverse.
Last Thursday, Astoria/VIT came up short against Augusta Southeastern and fell 6-2.
Hannah Horwedel put in work no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up four earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits. Horwedel was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI.
Horwedel wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Katelyn Stambaugh, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Illini West has not done well against Havana recently (they were 1-6 in their previous seven matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Illini West had just enough and edged Havana out 13-11. The final score was a far cry from the score of their previous head-to-head, which saw the teams combine for two runs.
The team relied heavily on Rachel James, who went 3-for-5 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs. Olivia Johnson was another key contributor, going 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI.
Astoria/VIT's loss dropped their record down to 4-8. As for Illini West, they pushed their record up to 9-4 with that win, which was their fourth straight on the road.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Monday. Astoria/VIT hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Illini West struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.4. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Astoria/VIT suffered a grim 14-0 defeat to Illini West in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. Can Astoria/VIT avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
