The Deer Creek-Mackinaw Chiefs will challenge the Princeville Princes at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.
On Wednesday, Deer Creek-Mackinaw didn't have quite enough to beat Limestone and fell 4-3. That's two games in a row now that the Chiefs have lost by just one run.
Rease Kelley made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with one home run. The team also got some help courtesy of Lexi Cottingham, who went 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Princeville not only won on Thursday, but they posted their biggest win since April 14th (when they won 16-1). They were the clear victors by a 14-1 margin over Monmouth United. The Princes haven't had any issues with the Red Storm recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Claire Sutherland made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over six innings pitched. Sutherland was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
In other batting news, Princeville got a massive performance out of Mekaya Cihla, who went 3-for-4 with four RBI, one run, and one double. That's the most RBI Cihla has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Annie Hofman, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double.
Princeville always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .595. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Monmouth United only posted an OBP of .280.
This is the second loss in a row for Deer Creek-Mackinaw and nudges their season record down to 12-8. Even worse, they were so close both times: the losses came by an average of only one runs. As for Princeville, their victory bumped their record up to 7-18.
Deer Creek-Mackinaw skirted past Princeville 4-2 in their previous meeting back in May of 2023. Will the Chiefs repeat their success, or do the Princes have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
