Softball Game Preview: Gardiner Tigers vs. Erskine Academy Eagles

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Previous Games

04/28/25 - Home	15-11 W
06/04/24 - Neutral	6-0 W
05/03/24 - Home	15-0 W
04/22/24 - Away	12-1 W
05/24/23 - Home	12-2 W
+ 5 more games

Gardiner is a perfect 10-0 against Erskine Academy since April of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Tigers will venture away from home to face off against the Eagles at 4:00 p.m. Gardiner will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each game than the last.

On Thursday, Gardiner needed a bit of extra time to put away Oak Hill. They skirted past the Raiders 6-5. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Tigers as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.

Meanwhile, Erskine Academy hadn't done well against Nokomis recently (they were 0-3 in their previous three matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. The Eagles blew past the Warriors 11-5. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Eagles considering their two-run performance the match before.

Kelsie Dunn made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over seven innings while giving up four earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits. Dunn was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-5 with four runs, two stolen bases, and three RBI.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lillian Clark, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double. Jilian Desjardins also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.

Erskine Academy kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.

Gardiner's record now sits at 2-3. As for Erskine Academy, their record is now 3-4.

Gardiner beat Erskine Academy 15-11 in their previous meeting last Monday. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Tigers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.