Softball Game Preview: Houston Wildcats vs. Jackson Center Tigers

The Houston Wildcats will square off against the Jackson Center Tigers at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Houston is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last four games.

Houston proved they can win big on Monday (they won by seven) and on Friday they proved they can win the close ones too. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Fort Loramie 4-3.

Makenna Vondenhuevel

Batters Struck Out

05/02/25 vs Fort Loramie	6
04/28/25 @ Fairlawn	9
04/26/25 vs Mississinawa Valley	10
04/26/25 vs Mississinawa Valley	13
04/24/25 @ Fort Loramie	12
+ 13 more games

Makenna Vondenhuevel spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on six hits and racked up six Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts any time she's pitched this season.

At the plate, Houston's victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Lauryn Crim, who went 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Another was Olivia Maier, who went 2-for-4 with one triple.

Meanwhile, Jackson Center came up short against Riverside on Monday and fell 9-6. The Tigers have struggled against the Pirates recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive lost meeting.

Houston's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-4. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Jackson Center, they now have a losing record of 4-5.

Houston skirted past Jackson Center 2-1 in their previous meeting back in April. Will the Wildcats repeat their success, or do the Tigers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.