The Herrin Tigers will head out on the road to face off against the Murphysboro Red Devils at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Herrin is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.4 runs per game this season.
On Friday, Herrin needed a bit of extra time to put away Carterville. They won by a run and slipped past the Lions 5-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Tigers have posted since April 23, 2024.
Chance Estes spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on eight hits and racked up six Ks. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Herrin is 2-1 when he allows at most two walks, but 5-8 otherwise.
Jaxton Faulkenberry
| 04/18/25 vs Carterville | 3 |
| 04/14/25 @ Johnston City | 2 |
| 03/29/25 vs Civic Memorial | 2 |
| 03/22/25 @ DuQuoin | 2 |
| 03/19/25 vs Goreville | 2 |
At the plate, Herrin's win was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Jaxton Faulkenberry, who went 3-for-4 with two triples, one run, and one RBI. Those three hits gave Faulkenberry a new career-high. Talan Nemeth also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Meanwhile, Murphysboro entered their tilt with Centralia on Friday with three consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with four. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 7-6 W against the Orphans. That's two games straight that the Red Devils have won by just one run.
Mason Bastien was a standout: he went 2-for-4 with one home run, one stolen base, and one double. He has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last five times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Reece Mileur, who went 1-for-4 with one home run and three RBI.
Murphysboro now has a winning record of 9-8. As for Herrin, they moved to 7-9 with that victory, which also ended their three-game losing streak.
Herrin couldn't quite finish off Murphysboro in their previous meeting last Tuesday and fell 6-4. Can the Tigers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
