Softball Game Preview: Maynard Tigers vs. Gardner Wildcats

The Maynard Tigers will head out on the road to face off against the Gardner Wildcats at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Maynard is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.8 runs per game this season.

Gardner will be up against a hot Maynard squad: the team just extended their winning streak to three. The Tigers put the hurt on Murdock with a sharp 14-3 win on Wednesday.

Ryleigh Raschi

Batters Struck Out

04/16/25 vs Murdock	6
05/25/24 vs Narragansett Regional	1
05/15/24 @ Shawsheen Valley Tech	6

Ryleigh Raschi was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in May of 2024. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBI.

In other batting news, Maynard got a massive performance out of Calleigh Currier, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-4. Elizabeth Schmidt was another key player, going 2-for-4 with four RBI and two runs.

Maynard was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .441. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Murdock only posted a batting average of .208.

Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Gardner challenged Ayer Shirley on Wednesday. The Wildcats fell just short of the Panthers by a score of 13-11. The Wildcats haven't had much luck with the Panthers recently, as the team has come up short the last four times they've met.

Gardner's defeat dropped their record down to 5-3. As for Maynard, their record now sits at 4-1.

Maynard couldn't quite finish off Gardner when the teams last played back in May of 2024 and fell 8-6. Can the Tigers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.