Softball Game Preview: Niles West Wolves vs. IC Catholic Prep Knights

The Niles West Wolves will face off against the IC Catholic Prep Knights at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Niles West is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.4 runs per game this season.

Niles West had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 17-run drubbing they dealt Maine East on Thursday. The Wolves were the clear victors by a 19-2 margin over the Blue Demons. The Wolves haven't had any issues with the Blue Demons recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive win against them.

Penny Hutchison

Hits (Career)

04/17/25 vs Maine East	3
04/10/25 vs Whitney Young	2
03/26/25 vs DePaul College Prep	2
04/15/25 vs Taft	1
04/12/25 @ Hersey	1

Penny Hutchison was a standout: she went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and one stolen base. Those three hits gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Ava Kolbe, who went 3-for-4 with three runs, two doubles, and one stolen base.

They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Niles West kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post 11 or more hits.

Meanwhile, after a string of six wins, IC Catholic Prep's good fortune finally ran out on Wednesday. They fell just short of De La Salle by a score of 4-3.

IC Catholic Prep saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ariani Zito, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI. Isabella Jelic was another, going 2-for-3 with one run and one double.

Niles West's victory bumped their record up to 4-7. As for IC Catholic Prep, their defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 9-5.