The Hesston Swathers will venture away from home to square off against the Nickerson Panthers at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Hesston has four straight wins, Nickerson has seven straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Last Friday, Hesston got the win against Larned by a conclusive 17-3. The Swathers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six matches by seven runs or more this season.
Brenlyn Richmond was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-5 with two runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, Wendy Roth and Kaylee Harris did most of the damage at the plate: Roth went 2-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Harris went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Raegan Eilert, who went 3-for-4 with three runs and one RBI.
Hesston always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .525. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .514 or higher in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Thursday just wasn't the day for Nickerson's offense. They came up short against Pratt on Thursday, falling 15-0. That's two games in a row now that the Panthers have lost by exactly 15 runs.
Hesston pushed their record up to 7-5 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.8 runs over those games. As for Nickerson, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-8.
Tuesday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Hesston hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .327. However, it's not like Nickerson struggles in that department as they've averaged .418. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Hesston's way against Nickerson in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, as Hesston made off with an 11-1 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Swathers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
