Softball Game Preview: Haven Wildcats vs. Nickerson Panthers

Haven has gone a perfect 10-0 against Nickerson recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Wildcats will be playing at home against the Panthers at 4:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Haven has four straight wins, Nickerson has 11 straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Haven's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They blew past Hoisington 12-0. The result was nothing new for the Wildcats, who have now won 11 contests by eight runs or more so far this season.

Morgan O'Neal

Runs (Career)

04/22/25 @ Hoisington	3
04/08/25 vs Pratt	2
04/08/25 vs Pratt	2
04/03/25 vs Hillsboro	2
04/01/25 vs Smoky Valley	2

The team relied heavily on Morgan O'Neal, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. Those three runs gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Trista Rogers, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.

Haven hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They are a perfect 11-0 when they post two or more strikeouts.

Meanwhile, Nickerson came up short against Hesston on Tuesday, falling 22-3.

Nickerson's loss dropped their record down to 2-12. As for Haven, their victory bumped their record up to 12-3.

Nickerson's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Haven has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 12.1 hits per game. It's a different story for Nickerson, though, as they've been averaging 14.3 hits. Given Haven's sizable advantage in that area, the Panthers will need to find a way to close that gap.

Haven took their win against Nickerson in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 17-2 score. Do the Wildcats have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Panthers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.