Softball Game Preview: Naperville Central Redhawks vs. Plainfield Central Wildcats

The Naperville Central Redhawks will challenge the Plainfield Central Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Naperville Central's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed last Thursday. They blew past Bolingbrook 15-0. The victory continues a trend for the Redhawks in their matchups with the Raiders: they've now won four in a row.

Shea Meech made a splash while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out seven over four innings pitched. Meech was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with three RBI and one double.

In other batting news, Riley Silvers was a standout: she scored three runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3. Jamie Saran was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.

Naperville Central always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .621. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Bolingbrook only posted an OBP of .286.

Meanwhile, Plainfield Central came into Thursday's game having lost four straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They came out on top against Yorkville Christian by a score of 10-5 on Thursday.

Kaylynn Howe tossed a big game, tossing six innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits.

On the hitting side, Ava Sommerfeld was incredible, scoring two runs while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Sophia Patterson, who scored a run while going 1-for-4.

Plainfield Central's win bumped their record up to 3-5. As for Naperville Central, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-2.

Naperville Central beat Plainfield Central 5-2 in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. Do the Redhawks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Wildcats turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.