Softball Game Preview: Shadle Park Highlanders vs. Mt. Spokane Wildcats

The Shadle Park Highlanders will venture away from home to take on the Mt. Spokane Wildcats at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

Last Friday, Shadle Park got the win against Gonzaga Prep by a conclusive 21-11. The win continues a trend for the Highlanders in their matchups with the Bullpups: they've now won four in a row.

McKenzie Duncan made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching six innings while giving up just one earned (and ten unearned) runs off ten hits. Duncan was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while getting on base in two of her five plate appearances.

In other batting news, Shadle Park got a massive performance out of Madi Keon, who went a perfect 5-for-5 with five RBI, three doubles, and two runs. That's the most hits Keon has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Abby Smith, who scored four runs and stole two bases while getting on base in five of her six plate appearances.

Shadle Park always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .708. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Mt. Spokane put another one in the bag on Tuesday to keep their perfect season alive. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Cheney a 10-0 shutout. Considering the Wildcats have won six matches by more than nine runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.

Shadle Park now has a winning record of 4-3. As for Mt. Spokane, they pushed their record up to 8-0 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home.

Shadle Park might still be hurting after the 9-1 loss they got from Mt. Spokane when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Can the Highlanders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.