Softball Game Preview: Gardner Wildcats vs. Maynard Tigers

The Gardner Wildcats will square off against the Maynard Tigers at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.

It was a proper cat-fight when Gardner faced off against Ayer Shirley on Wednesday. The Wildcats fell just short of the Panthers by a score of 13-11. The defeat continues a trend for the Wildcats in their meetings with the Panthers: they've now lost four in a row.

Meanwhile, Maynard waltzed into their matchup on Wednesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They were the clear victors by a 14-3 margin over the Blue Devils.

Ryleigh Raschi was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in May of 2024. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBI.

In other batting news, Maynard got a massive performance out of Calleigh Currier, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Maddy Karlon, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4.

Maynard was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .441. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Murdock only posted a batting average of .208.

Maynard's win bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Gardner, their loss dropped their record down to 5-3.

Gardner came out on top in a nail-biter against Maynard when the teams last played back in May of 2024, sneaking past 8-6. Will the Wildcats repeat their success, or do the Tigers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.