The Wheeler Bearcats will take on the Griffith Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Wheeler is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game this season.
On Monday, Wheeler needed a bit of extra time to put away Illiana Christian. They skirted past the Vikings 6-5.
Grace Gabriel spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned runs on 11 hits and racked up 11 Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
Isabela Lira
| 04/14/25 @ Illiana Christian | 2 |
| 04/03/25 vs Washington Township | 1 |
| 05/17/24 @ Highland | 1 |
| 05/15/24 vs Washington Township | 1 |
| 05/13/24 vs Lake Station Edison | 1 |
On the hitting side, Ashlynne Trinidad and Isabela Lira did most of the damage at the plate: Trinidad scored a run while going 1-for-3, while Lira went 2-for-3 with two doubles. Those two doubles gave Lira a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Nora Howell, who went 1-for-3 with one triple and one run.
Meanwhile, while Griffith put up plenty of runs on Monday, the same can't be said for River Forest. The Panthers blew past the Ingots 14-0. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Panthers.
Brylie Bridges made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Bridges was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Natalie Vianello was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while going 2-for-4. Addie Kubaszak was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Griffith always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .594. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as River Forest only posted an OBP of .188.
Griffith's win was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 2-0. The team's perfect season has a lot to do with their hitting performance: the team's won by an average of 13.4 runs thus far. As for Wheeler, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Wheeler skirted past Griffith 2-0 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Will the Bearcats repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
