The Northside Mustangs will head out on the road to square off against the Regina Dominican Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Northside has given up an average of 8.6 runs per game this season, but Wednesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Tuesday just wasn't the day for Northside's offense. They came up short against Lane Tech on Tuesday, falling 11-0. Having soared to a lofty 15 runs in the game before, the Mustangs' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Meanwhile, Regina Dominican came tearing into Thursday's game with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11.6 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Colonels a 12-0 shutout. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight matches by seven runs or more this season.
Addison Volkers made a splash no matter where she played. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out six over five innings pitched. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. That triple was her first of the season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Olivia Fraterrigo, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Anna O'Connor, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs.
Regina Dominican always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .556. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Francis W. Parker only posted an OBP of .062.
Regina Dominican pushed their record up to 10-3 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.0 runs on average over those games. As for Northside, they have been struggling recently as they've lost ten of their last 12 contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 4-12 record this season.
Northside came out on top in a nail-biter against Regina Dominican when the teams last played back in May of 2024, sneaking past 5-4. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Mustangs since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
