The Princeton Tigers will head out to face off against the Kewanee Boilermakers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Princeton will be strutting in after a win while Kewanee will be coming in after a loss.
Princeton is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Mendota 17-5 on Tuesday. Considering the Tigers have won six games by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Piper Hansen spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned (and one unearned) runs on ten hits and racked up six Ks.
Ellie Harp
| 04/29/25 vs Mendota | 4 |
| 03/21/24 vs Rock Falls | 2 |
| 04/28/25 vs Kewanee | 1 |
| 04/22/25 vs Newman Central Catholic | 1 |
| 03/28/25 vs Geneseo | 1 |
At the plate, Ellie Harp was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, four runs, and one stolen base. Those four runs gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Sam Woolley, who got on base in three of her five plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Meanwhile, Kewanee suffered their closest defeat since April 12th on Monday. They fell just short of Princeton by a score of 4-2. The Boilermakers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Kalleigh Gale was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. On the mound, she pitched six innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off eight hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than one walk in ten consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Gale wasn't the only one making solid contact as seven players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Kieryn Abernathy, who went 1-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
Princeton pushed their record up to 9-8 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 9.7 runs over those games. As for Kewanee, their loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 5-1 and their overall record down to 13-10.
Thursday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Princeton hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .346. However, it's not like Kewanee struggles in that department as they've averaged .373. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Princeton skirted past Kewanee 4-2 in their previous matchup on Monday. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Tigers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
