Baseball Game Preview: Tolono Unity Rockets vs. Monticello Sages

The Tolono Unity Rockets will head out on the road to square off against the Monticello Sages at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Tolono Unity will be looking to extend their current five-game winning streak.

Last Monday, Tolono Unity made easy work of Paxton-Buckley-Loda and carried off a 9-2 victory.

Emmerson Bailey was a major factor no matter where he played. He tossed 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.

Brayden Henry

Runs

04/14/25 vs Paxton-Buckley-Loda	2
04/12/25 @ Carterville	2
04/08/25 vs Okaw Valley	2
04/07/25 @ Rantoul	2
03/17/25 vs St. Teresa	2
+ 2 more games

In other batting news, Tolono Unity let Brayden Henry and Tre Hoggard run wild. Henry scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4, while Hoggard went 1-for-2 with three RBI and one double. Henry is becoming a predictor of Tolono Unity's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 4-5 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Nolan Remole, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.

Tolono Unity hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least five batters in six consecutive contests.

Mattoon typically has all the answers at home, but on Tuesday Monticello proved too difficult a challenge. They walked away with a 7-2 win over the Greenwave. The victory continues a trend for the Sages in their matchups with the Greenwave: they've now won six in a row.

Monticello pushed their record up to 12-3 with the win, which was their sixth straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.2 runs over those games. As for Tolono Unity, their record now sits at 9-5.

Tolono Unity suffered a grim 12-1 defeat to Monticello when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can the Rockets avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.