Softball Game Preview: Highland Tech Rams vs. East Wilkes Cardinals

The Highland Tech Rams will square off against the East Wilkes Cardinals on Friday. Highland Tech is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 12.2 runs per game this season.

Highland Tech is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-2 victory over Queen's Grant. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Rams have posted since March 25th.

Makaylee Gantt

Batters Struck Out

05/06/25 vs Queen's Grant	9
05/01/25 vs Forestview	8
04/28/25 @ Shelby	9
04/17/25 vs Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy	6
04/15/25 @ Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy	8
+ 7 more games

Makaylee Gantt was a major factor no matter where she played. She struck out nine batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits (and only one walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in 12 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs.

In other batting news, Meredith Bolick was excellent, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI. Kendall Bynum was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.

Meanwhile, East Wilkes had already won 18 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.7 runs) and they went ahead and made it 19 on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 17-2 margin over the Crusaders. Considering the Cardinals have won 13 matchups by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.

East Wilkes' victory was their tenth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 22-4. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.1 runs over those games. As for Highland Tech, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven games. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-6 record this season.