The Northwest Mounties will take on the Howell Highlanders in a tournament on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Howell will be up against a hot Northwest squad: the team just extended their winning streak to three. Everything went the Mounties' way against Western on Thursday as they made off with an 11-2 win.
Lucy Bivens (2025) made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 13 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
In other batting news, Ari Good (2025) was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. That home run marked the first that she has launched this season. Another player making a difference was Ava Golightly (2025), who went 2-for-3 with three runs and one stolen base.
Howell not only won on Wednesday, but they posted their biggest win since April 17th (when they won 17-2). They were the clear victors by a 12-2 margin over Plymouth. The Highlanders have beaten the Wildcats the last three times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Wildcats has come to flipping the script.
Allison Ulanowski spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on five hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Zoey Overton, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Caitlin Watripont, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base.
Howell always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .528. They are a perfect 8-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Howell pushed their record up to 17-11-1 with the victory, which was their eighth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Northwest, their record is now 7-2.
Northwest might still be hurting after the 13-3 defeat they got from Howell when the teams last played back in April of 2023. Can the Mounties avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
