For the first time this season, Jasper will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They are taking a road trip to take on the Evansville Reitz Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Jasper barely beat Southridge the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Wildcats beat the Raiders on Tuesday by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 11-1. Considering the Wildcats have won five matches by more than eight runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Ella Erny and Olivia Young did most of the damage at the plate: Erny scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Young got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one RBI. That's the most runs Erny has posted since back in May of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Ayla Elkins, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Jasper was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .429. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Southridge only posted a batting average of .211.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Evansville Reitz). They were the clear victors by a 12-0 margin over Evansville Harrison on Tuesday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Not much got past Ella Ellerbrook, who gave up just five hits and racked up ten Ks to keep Evansville Harrison off the board. Those ten strikeouts set a new season-high mark for Ellerbrook.
At the plate, Evansville Reitz let Kinley Miller and Ava Leeds run wild. Miller scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4, while Leeds went 3-for-4 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Miller also put up a home run, which was her first of the season. Sadey Jones was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
The victory (which was Jasper's third in a row) raised their record to 7-3. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Evansville Reitz, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 3-5.
Evansville Reitz's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Jasper has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .458. It's a different story for Evansville Reitz, though, as they've only averaged .355. Will they be able to contain Jasper's hitters?
Jasper couldn't quite get it done against Evansville Reitz in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 as they fell 6-2. Can the Wildcats avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
