Softball Recap: Gardner-South Wilmington Drops Season-High Score on Donovan

Panthers

Team Score (Highest)

05/08/25 @ Donovan	19
04/14/25 @ St. Anne	18
04/09/25 @ Woodland	18
03/28/25 vs Forreston	17
04/08/25 @ Momence	15

Winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Gardner-South Wilmington). They blew past the Donovan Wildcats 19-1 on Thursday. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won nine matchups by six runs or more so far this season.

Maddie Simms made a big impact no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out eight over four innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, firing off two home runs and five RBI while going 3-for-3. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in May of 2024.

In other batting news, Ella Mack was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with three runs, two doubles, and one triple. That's the most runs she has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Lily Buck, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with three runs, one triple, and one RBI.

Gardner-South Wilmington always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .600. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Donovan only posted an OBP of .333.

The win (which was Gardner-South Wilmington's fourth in a row) raised their record to 17-9. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.0 runs over those games. As for Donovan, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 7-11.

We've got plenty of inter-conference action coming up soon. Gardner-South Wilmington will square off against rival St. Anne at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The timing is sure in the Panthers' favor as the team sits on three straight wins at home while the Cardinals have been banged up by eight consecutive losses on the road. Meanwhile, Donovan is set to challenge their familiar foe Clifton Central at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.