Softball Game Preview: West Prairie Cyclones vs. Havana Ducks

The West Prairie Cyclones will head out on the road to take on the Havana Ducks at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. West Prairie has given up an average of 11.8 runs per game this season, but Wednesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Camp Point Central hit West Prairie with a nine-run second inning on Monday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Cyclones lost 13-2 to the Panthers. The Cyclones have struggled against the Panthers recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost meeting.

Meanwhile, Havana made easy work of Astoria/VIT on Monday and carried off a 12-2 win. The Ducks might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 11 matchups by six runs or more this season.

Maddie Howerter made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out 13 batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three RBI and two doubles. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April.

In other batting news, Havana got a massive performance out of Addie Atwater, who fired off three triples, three runs, and two RBI while going 3-for-4. That's the most hits Atwater has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Ava Kramer, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one stolen base.

Havana always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .515. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Astoria/VIT only posted an OBP of .250.

Havana is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-3-1 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.4 runs on average over those games. As for West Prairie, their loss dropped their record down to 8-17.

West Prairie might still be hurting after the 10-0 defeat they got from Havana when the teams last played back in May of 2023. Can the Cyclones avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.