Softball Game Preview: Plainwell Trojans vs. Parchment Panthers

The Plainwell Trojans will head out on the road to square off against the Parchment Panthers at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

On Tuesday, Plainwell narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Sturgis 9-8. Plainwell hasn't had any issues with Sturgis recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.

Madison Seibert made a splash while hitting and pitching. She pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with three runs and one stolen base. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Sophia Barth, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI and one double.

Plainwell was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .382. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Parchment). Everything went their way against Schoolcraft on Tuesday as they made off with a 24-15 win. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won three matchups by nine runs or more so far this season.

The victory made it two in a row for Parchment and bumps their season record up to 4-6. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 19.5 runs over those games. As for Plainwell, their record now sits at 4-14.

Plainwell suffered a grim 12-4 defeat to Parchment in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Can the Trojans avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.