Softball Game Preview: Iowa-Grant Panthers vs. Prairie du Chien Blackhawks

The Iowa-Grant Panthers will venture away from home to take on the Prairie du Chien Blackhawks at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Iowa-Grant is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.3 runs per game this season.

Iowa-Grant fought the good fight in their extra-innings matchup against Mineral Point on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Pointers by a score of 12-11. While the Panthers didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Pointers 4-0 in the first period.

Lakyn Holman spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and 11 unearned) runs on ten hits.

On the hitting side, Carly Shores made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 4-for-5 with five RBI, two runs, and one triple. That triple marked the first that she has hit this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Quinn Hoeper, who went 2-for-4 with three runs.

Meanwhile, Prairie du Chien wound up with the same score they had in their last game (6-5), but sadly the team found themselves on the wrong side of the score this time.

Rita Achenbach was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-4 with one home run and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Irelynd Cejka, who went 1-for-4 with two RBI and one run.

The defeat was their first at home , dropping their record down to 7-3. As for Prairie du Chien, their record is now 9-3.

Iowa-Grant beat Prairie du Chien 7-4 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.