The Westville Tigers will venture away from home to challenge the LeRoy Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Westville 3.5, LeRoy 2.9) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Westville proved they can win big on Monday (they won by 23) and on Wednesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 10-8 victory over Tri-Valley. The win was nothing new for the Tigers as they're now sitting on four straight.
Lilly Kiesel made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Peyton Sabalaskey and Laney Cook did most of the damage at the plate: Sabalaskey went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI, while Cook went 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Daylin Zaayer, who went 1-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Westville kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 12 hits in three consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last contest, LeRoy made sure to put some runs up on the board against Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin on Thursday. The Panthers put the hurt on the Blue Devils with a sharp 12-5 victory. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won 22 games by six runs or more so far this season.
LeRoy pushed their record up to 28-5 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Westville, their record is now 27-5.
Westville took their win against LeRoy when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 9-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Tigers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
