Softball Game Preview: Father McGivney Catholic Griffins vs. New Athens Yellow Jackets

The Father McGivney Catholic Griffins are taking a road trip to take on the New Athens Yellow Jackets at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. New Athens took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Father McGivney Catholic, who comes in off a win.

On Thursday, Father McGivney Catholic earned an 8-3 win over Metro-East Lutheran. The victory continues a trend for the Griffins in their matchups with the Knights: they've now won three in a row.

Avery Grenzebach

Batters Struck Out

04/24/25 @ Metro-East Lutheran	10
04/22/25 vs Metro-East Lutheran	13
04/11/25 vs Gibault Catholic	6
04/10/25 vs Christ Our Rock Lutheran	5

Avery Grenzebach made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Morgan Zobrist, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and one triple.

Meanwhile, New Athens was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 2-1 heartbreaker at the hands of Dupo.

New Athens saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Carinne Darin, who went 1-for-3 with one triple and one RBI.

New Athens' loss dropped their record down to 7-6. As for Father McGivney Catholic, their record now sits at 7-8.

Everything went Father McGivney Catholic's way against New Athens in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, as Father McGivney Catholic made off with an 11-3 win. Will the Griffins repeat their success, or do the Yellow Jackets have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.