Softball Game Preview: Herscher Tigers vs. St. Anne Cardinals

The Herscher Tigers will square off against the St. Anne Cardinals at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Herscher is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last four games.

On Wednesday, Herscher got the win against Clifton Central by a conclusive 13-6. That's two games straight that the Tigers have won by exactly seven runs.

Anistin Hackley made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits (and not a single walk). That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in May of 2024. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Keira Ahramovich, who fired off two home runs, five RBI, and three runs while going 3-for-5. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Chloe Kinkade, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI.

Herscher always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .513. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive contests.

Grant Park hit St. Anne with a eight-run first inning on Thursday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Cardinals lost 13-4 to the Dragons. The Cardinals have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Herscher's victory bumped their record up to 18-11. As for St. Anne, their loss dropped their record down to 3-17.

Herscher took their win against St. Anne in their previous meeting back in May of 2021 by a conclusive 12-0 score. Do the Tigers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Cardinals turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.