Softball Game Preview: McHenry Warriors vs. Crystal Lake Central Tigers

The McHenry Warriors will face off against the Crystal Lake Central Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as McHenry comes in on three and Crystal Lake Central on four.

McHenry's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They won by a run and slipped past Central 1-0.

Natalie Bender

Base on Balls Against

05/06/25 vs Central	2
05/05/25 @ Dundee-Crown	2
05/01/25 vs Cary-Grove	1
04/30/25 @ Huntley	1
04/28/25 vs Hampshire	0

The result came thanks to Natalie Bender's shutout, as she gave up just two hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.

At the plate, McHenry's win was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Danica McCarthy, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one run. McCarthy is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games she's played.

Meanwhile, Crystal Lake Central sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 7-6 victory over Crystal Lake South on Tuesday.

McHenry's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-13. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.7 runs on average over those games. As for Crystal Lake Central, their win bumped their record up to 16-5.

McHenry couldn't quite finish off Crystal Lake Central when the teams last played two weeks ago and fell 9-7. Will the Warriors have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.