Softball Game Preview: Medomak Valley Panthers vs. Gardiner Tigers

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Previous Games

05/02/25 - Home	2-1 W
05/08/24 - Home	10-3 W
04/26/24 - Away	4-1 W
05/12/23 - Home	0-1 L
04/28/23 - Home	1-2 L
+ 5 more games

Medomak Valley and Gardiner are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2018, but likely not for long. The Panthers will head out to face off against the Tigers at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Medomak Valley's pitching crew has only allowed 1.3 runs per game this season, so Gardiner's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Medomak Valley is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Maine's top teams: Leavitt, who was ranked third at the time (Medomak Valley was ranked 13th). The Panthers fell just short of the Hornets by a score of 2-1 on Monday. The matchup marked the Panthers' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Meanwhile, Gardiner fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against Cony on Monday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 5-2 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Rams. That's two games in a row now that the Tigers have lost by exactly three runs.

MOLLY TAKATSU spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and two unearned) runs on seven hits and racked up seven Ks. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 5.2 strikeouts per game.

At the plate, BRYNLEA CHAISSON was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and one run. TARYN NICHOLS also deserves some recognition as she got her first hit of the season.

Having lost for the first time this season, Medomak Valley fell to 8-1. As for Gardiner, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 2-5.

Medomak Valley skirted past Gardiner 2-1 when the teams last played last Friday. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.