Softball Game Preview: Oregon Panthers vs. Fort Atkinson Blackhawks

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Previous Games

04/22/25 - Away	12-1 W
05/10/24 - Away	14-3 W
04/23/24 - Home	6-0 W
04/13/23 - Home	8-1 W
04/25/19 - Away	3-4 L
+ 5 more games

Oregon and Fort Atkinson are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2017, but likely not for long. The Panthers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Blackhawks at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Oregon is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.

Oregon's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 1-0 victory over Beaver Dam. Those one runs were actually the fewest the Panthers have put up all season, but given the result they're probably not too concerned.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Fort Atkinson). They put the hurt on Monona Grove with a sharp 13-4 win on Tuesday. The Blackhawks not only won on Tuesday, but they posted their biggest win since April 11th (when they won 12-2).

Mia Bilau spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on four hits.

On the hitting side, Olivia Rue and Olivia Knickrehm did most of the damage at the plate: Rue went 2-for-3 with five RBI, two runs, and one double, while Knickrehm went 3-for-5 with three runs, two doubles, and two RBI. Those two doubles gave Knickrehm a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Kinley Wargolet, who went 2-for-5 with two runs and one stolen base.

Fort Atkinson hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They are 3-1 when they post two or more strikeouts.

Oregon's victory was their 11th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 17-0. As for Fort Atkinson, their win bumped their record up to 6-10.

Oregon took their victory against Fort Atkinson in their previous meeting two weeks ago by a conclusive 12-1 score. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Blackhawks have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.