Softball Game Preview: Lakeville South Cougars vs. Lakeville North Panthers

A classic North v. South matchup is on the schedule. The Lakeville South Cougars will face off against the Lakeville North Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Lakeville South will be strutting in after a victory while Lakeville North will be coming in after a defeat.

Lakeville South's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They came out on top against Prior Lake by a score of 4-0. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Cougars.

The result came thanks to Lauren Schellhammer's shutout, as she gave up just five hits and racked up eight Ks.

On the hitting side, Trinity Jensen was excellent, getting on base in all three of her plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base. That stolen base marked the first that she has snagged this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Camryn Dorner, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI.

Meanwhile, Lakeville North didn't have quite enough to beat Rosemount on Tuesday and fell 4-3. The loss continues a trend for the Panthers in their meetings with the Irish: they've now lost eight in a row.

Lakeville North saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Alicia Jeanson, who went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.

Lakeville North's defeat dropped their record down to 2-4. As for Lakeville South, the win got them back to even at 3-3.

Lakeville North's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Lakeville South has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .432. It's a different story for Lakeville North, though, as they've only averaged .349. Will they be able to contain Lakeville South's hitters?

Lakeville South came up short against Lakeville North in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, falling 8-4. Can the Cougars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.