Softball Game Preview: River Ridge/Scales Mound Wildcats vs. Orangeville Broncos

River Ridge/Scales Mound hasn't had much luck against Orangeville recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Wildcats will look to defend their home field against the Broncos at 4:30 p.m. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with River Ridge/Scales Mound sitting on three straight wins and Orangeville on five.

On Thursday, River Ridge/Scales Mound earned a 12-7 victory over Warren/Stockton.

Laiken Haas made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances. She was even better at the plate, scoring three runs while going 3-for-5. That's the most runs she has posted since back in April of 2024.

In other batting news, Sarah Winter was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Kaylen Bond, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.

River Ridge/Scales Mound kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 4.7 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 matches they've averaged 10.2.

Meanwhile, Orangeville owes their pitching crew a big pat on the back after their performance on Thursday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Pearl City 2-0. The two-run effort marked the Broncos' lowest-scoring contest of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.

Orangeville pushed their record up to 10-2 with the victory, which was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.8 runs over those games. As for River Ridge/Scales Mound, the victory got them back to even at 6-6.

River Ridge/Scales Mound suffered a grim 13-7 defeat to Orangeville in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. Will the Wildcats have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.