The Jersey Panthers will take on the Marquette Catholic Explorers at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Neither Jersey nor Marquette Catholic posted many runs in their last games, so it might be the pitching crews that decide this one.
Monday just wasn't the day for Jersey's offense. They fell 3-0 to Mascoutah on Monday. The Panthers have struggled against the Indians recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive lost matchup.
Paxton Weirich spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on three hits.
On the hitting side, Jersey saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Maleah Derrick, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Marquette Catholic came up short against Granite City on Thursday, falling 11-2.
Allie Weiner made the most of her time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI. That double marked the first that she has hit this season.
Jersey's defeat dropped their record down to 13-8. As for Marquette Catholic, their loss dropped their record down to 6-9-1.
Saturday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Jersey hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .321. However, it's not like Marquette Catholic struggles in that department as they've averaged .354. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Jersey got the 'W' in their previous meeting back in May of 2025 against Marquette Catholic by a conclusive 15-3 score. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Explorers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
