Softball Recap: New Athens Triumphs

New Athens hadn't done well against Valmeyer recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. The Yellow Jackets walked away with a 10-6 win over the Pirates. While the Yellow Jackets didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-19), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.

Mallory Kohnen

Batters Struck Out (Career)

04/17/25 @ Valmeyer	13
05/13/24 @ Steeleville	6
04/23/24 @ Steeleville	6
03/23/24 @ DuQuoin	6
03/22/25 vs Sparta	5

Mallory Kohnen made a splash while hitting and pitching. She struck out 13 batters over seven innings while giving up four earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits. Those 13 strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. That home run was her first of the season.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Morgan Schatte, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI. Jamie Wilson was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI.

New Athens kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post 11 or more hits.

The victory made it two in a row for New Athens and bumps their season record up to 6-3. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 6 runs in those games. As for Valmeyer, they dropped their record down to 1-5 with the loss, which was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season.

New Athens didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next contest, a 5-4 victory against Breese Central on the 18th. Valmeyer has also already played their next matchup (against Sparta), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing.