The East Moline United Panthers will face off against the Sterling Golden Warriors at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. East Moline United's pitching crew has only allowed 3.4 runs per game this season, so Sterling's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
East Moline United had taken Geneseo down for two straight games at home, but that winning streak came to an end on Thursday. The Panthers fell just short of the Maple Leafs by a score of 7-6. The loss was the Panthers' first of the season.
Reagan Kearns was huge no matter where she played even without the win. She didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run and two RBI.
Kearns wasn't the only one making solid contact as seven players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Samantha Verstraete, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double. Another was Mea Johnson, who scored a run while going 2-for-5.
Meanwhile, Sterling had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 5-4 W against the Rocks.
Lily Martinez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned runs on 12 hits.
On the hitting side, Marley Sechrest was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in May of 2024. Lily Cantu was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Sterling's victory bumped their record up to 7-2. As for East Moline United, their defeat was their first of the season and makes their record 4-1.
East Moline United couldn't quite get it done against Sterling in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 as they fell 4-0. Will the Panthers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
