The Eau Claire North Huskies will challenge the Rice Lake Warriors at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Eau Claire North has now lost seven straight, leaving the team hunting for their first win since April 25.
Eau Claire North fell victim to Marshfield and their airtight pitching crew on Friday. They took a 4-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Tigers.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Rice Lake). They blew past River Falls 15-3 on Thursday. The Warriors haven't had any issues with the Wildcats recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Kamryn Kunz spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on eight hits and racked up eight Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in eight consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Ava Anderson was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with three runs, one double, and one RBI. That's the most hits she has posted since back in May of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Harper Schommer, who went 2-for-5 with three RBI, one triple, and one run.
Rice Lake's win bumped their record up to 9-10. As for Eau Claire North, their loss dropped their record down to 6-14.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Eau Claire North has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Rice Lake struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Eau Claire North came out on top in a nail-biter against Rice Lake in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, sneaking past 6-5. Will the Huskies repeat their success, or do the Warriors have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
