Lovejoy hasn't had much luck against Walnut Grove recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Leopards will square off against the Wildcats at 6:45 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Walnut Grove will face off against a team with plenty of momentum: Lovejoy extended their winning streak to four on Tuesday. The Leopards put the hurt on Denison with a sharp 7-1 win.
Izzy Guarriello
| 04/01/25 vs Denison | 17 |
| 03/28/25 @ Anna | 12 |
| 03/25/25 @ Sherman | 11 |
| 03/21/25 vs Greenville | 14 |
| 03/18/25 @ Melissa | 5 |
| + 13 more games |
Izzy Guarriello spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on one hit and racked up 17 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 18 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Addie George, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Torii Johannes also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Walnut Grove took on Greenville on Tuesday. The Wildcats blew past the Lions 10-2. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Wildcats.
Hannah Adkins looked comfortable as she struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Those eight strikeouts gave her a new career-high.
At the plate, Ella Berlage and Kailee James did most of the damage at the plate: Berlage went 2-for-3 with one home run and two runs, while James went 1-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. Another player making a difference was Alexa Arredondo, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Walnut Grove's victory was their 17th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 17-6. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.1 runs over those games. As for Lovejoy, their record now sits at 16-8.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Lovejoy hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.6 home runs per game. However, it's not like Walnut Grove struggles in that department as they've been averaging 1.3 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Lovejoy suffered a grim 10-3 defeat to Walnut Grove in their previous meeting back in March. Can the Leopards avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
