Softball Game Preview: Kenyon-Wanamingo Knights vs. Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton Bulldogs

The Kenyon-Wanamingo Knights are taking a road trip to square off against the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton Bulldogs at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Kenyon-Wanamingo, who comes in off a win.

Kenyon-Wanamingo took a six-run defeat the last time they faced off against Bethlehem Academy, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Knights narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Cardinals 4-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Knights have posted against the Cardinals since May 6, 2022.

Anna Ostertag

Batters Struck Out

04/15/25 vs Bethlehem Academy	6
04/11/25 vs Schaeffer Academy	7
04/04/25 @ Bethlehem Academy	5

Anna Ostertag spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on five hits and racked up six Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts any time she's pitched this season.

On the hitting side, Kenyon-Wanamingo saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Vanessa Bartel, who went 1-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton faced Cleveland in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Tuesday. The Bulldogs lost 9-1 to the Clippers. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

The win made it two in a row for Kenyon-Wanamingo and bumps their season record up to 2-1. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 16.0 runs over those games. As for Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton, their loss dropped their record down to 3-5-1.

Kenyon-Wanamingo was able to grind out a solid win over Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, winning 9-5. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Knights since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.