Grant Park extended their losing streak to three on Thursday, dropping their season record down to 9-8 in the process. They fell 7-3 to the Gardner-South Wilmington Panthers. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Panthers this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 5-0 on Tuesday.
Cheyenne Hayes
| 05/01/25 @ Gardner-South Wilmington | 11 |
| 04/29/25 vs Gardner-South Wilmington | 11 |
| 04/25/25 @ Peotone | 10 |
| 04/23/25 @ Watseka | 15 |
| 04/17/25 @ Momence | 12 |
| + 4 more games |
Cheyenne Hayes was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over six innings while giving up five earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in nine consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Hayes wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Reegan Thompson, who went 1-for-4 with one stolen base and one run.
As for Gardner-South Wilmington, their win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-8. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games.
Like Grant Park, Gardner-South Wilmington also got a great game from a two-way player: Maddie Simms. On the mound, she struck out ten batters over seven innings while giving up three earned runs off six hits (and only one walk). Simms was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with one home run.
In other batting news, Ella Mack was excellent, going 2-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. Another player making a difference was Kayla Scheuber, who went 1-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Looking ahead, Grant Park will head out on the road to take on Clifton Central at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Gardner-South Wilmington, they will face off against Herscher at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The Panthers' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Tigers have averaged an impressive 9 runs per game this season.
