The Oakwood Comets are taking a road trip to take on the Danville Vikings at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Oakwood is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game this season.
If Oakwood beats Danville with nine runs on Tuesday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two matchups with that exact score. The Comets walked away with a 9-4 win over Watseka on Monday. The victory was nothing new for the Comets as they're now sitting on three straight.
Caydence Vermillion made a splash while hitting and pitching. She struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off nine hits (and not a single walk). That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in March. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
| 04/13/26 @ Watseka | 4 |
| 03/27/26 @ Rantoul | 3 |
| 03/13/26 vs Paris | 3 |
| 04/21/25 vs Hoopeston | 2 |
| 04/14/25 vs Watseka | 2 |
In other batting news, Lainee Smith was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Those four RBI gave her a new career-high. Makynzie Bruens also deserves some recognition as she scored her first run of the season.
Meanwhile, Danville came up short against Champaign Central on Thursday and fell 7-2. The loss continues a trend for the Vikings in their meetings with the Maroons: they've now lost three in a row.
Danville saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kealee Alyea, who went 1-for-3 with one run.
Danville's defeat dropped their record down to 4-7. As for Oakwood, their record now sits at 11-5.
Danville's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Oakwood has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.9 hits per game. It's a different story for Danville, though, as they've been averaging 10.5 hits. Given Oakwood's sizable advantage in that area, the Vikings will need to find a way to close that gap.
Oakwood suffered a grim 14-1 defeat to Danville when the teams last played back in April of 2025. Can the Comets avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
