Walnut Grove has gone a perfect 3-0 against Lovejoy recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Wildcats will be playing at home against the Leopards at 6:45 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
It was a proper cat-fight when Walnut Grove took on Greenville on Tuesday. The Wildcats were the clear victors by a 10-2 margin over the Lions. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Wildcats.
Hannah Adkins
| 04/01/25 vs Greenville | 8 |
| 03/07/25 @ Greenville | 6 |
| 02/28/25 vs Permian | 5 |
| 02/22/25 vs Flower Mound | 4 |
| 03/11/25 @ Lovejoy | 3 |
Hannah Adkins looked comfortable as she struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Those eight strikeouts gave her a new career-high.
On the hitting side, Ella Berlage and Kailee James did most of the damage at the plate: Berlage went 2-for-3 with one home run and two runs, while James went 1-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. Micayla Wood was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Lovejoy had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12 runs) and they went ahead and made it four on Tuesday. They put the hurt on the Yellow Jackets with a sharp 7-1 win.
Izzy Guarriello spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on one hit and racked up 17 Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 18 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Addie George was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Torii Johannes, who went 1-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Walnut Grove's victory was their 17th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 17-6. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for Lovejoy, their victory bumped their record up to 16-8.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Walnut Grove hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 1.3 home runs per game. However, it's not like Lovejoy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.6 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Walnut Grove took their win against Lovejoy when the teams last played back in March by a conclusive 10-3 score. Do the Wildcats have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Leopards turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
