The Dakota Cougars will head out on the road to face off against the Gaylord Blue Devils at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Dakota is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.1 runs per game this season.
Anchor Bay hit Dakota with a ten-run fifth inning on Thursday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Cougars fell 13-8 to the Tars. The Cougars' loss signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.
Kiley Phelan
| 05/08/25 vs Anchor Bay | 1 |
| 05/06/25 @ Grosse Pointe North | 2 |
| 05/05/25 vs Clarkston | 1 |
Kiley Phelan was cooking despite her team's loss, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. She is on a roll when it comes to home runs, as she's now launched at least one in each of the last three games she's played. Brooke Gaffke also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, Gaylord waltzed into their contest on Tuesday with five straight wins... but they left with six. They walked away with a 7-2 win over the Trojans.
Nora Bethuy spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on three hits and racked up seven Ks.
At the plate, Gaylord got a massive performance out of Kennedy Wangler, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two doubles. Another player making a difference was Aubrey Jones, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs.
Gaylord pushed their record up to 9-1 with the victory, which was their 16th straight on the road dating back to last season. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.9 runs on average over those games. As for Dakota, their defeat was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 7-1 and their overall record down to 15-3.
Saturday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Dakota hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .401. However, it's not like Gaylord struggles in that department as they've averaged .333. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Dakota skirted past Gaylord 3-1 when the teams last played back in April of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cougars since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
