The Oregon Hawks will square off against the Erie-Prophetstown Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Oregon is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.1 runs per game this season.
Oregon fell victim to Morrison and their airtight pitching crew on Saturday. They took a 5-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Mustangs. The Hawks haven't had much luck with the Mustangs recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.
Meanwhile, Erie-Prophetstown entered their tilt with Mendota on Monday with four consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with five. They put the hurt on the Trojans with a sharp 12-1 victory.
Wynn Renkes made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out seven over five innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two RBI.
In other batting news, Erie-Prophetstown got a massive performance out of Lillian McWilliams, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. That's the most hits McWilliams has posted since back in April of 2024. Alyssah Padia was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Erie-Prophetstown always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .576. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Erie-Prophetstown pushed their record up to 14-9 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.0 runs over those games. As for Oregon, their defeat dropped their record down to 22-12.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Oregon has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Erie-Prophetstown struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Oregon skirted past Erie-Prophetstown 2-0 in their previous meeting back in June of 2021. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hawks since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
