Softball Game Preview: Hayward Hurricanes vs. Northwestern Tigers

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Previous Games

04/25/24 - Home	5-1 W
04/25/24 - Home	8-4 W
05/01/23 - Away	5-7 L
05/01/23 - Away	6-2 W
04/25/23 - Home	6-2 W
+ 5 more games

Hayward and Northwestern are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2018, but likely not for long. The Hurricanes will head out on the road to face off against the Tigers at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Hayward sitting on five straight wins and Northwestern on six.

On Friday, Hayward got the win against Barron by a conclusive 11-4. The Hurricanes might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight matchups by six runs or more this season.

Meanwhile, Northwestern's rock-solid pitcher showed up for the team's fourth consecutive shutout on Saturday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Barron a 9-0 shutout. The Tigers are also no stranger to big wins: their blowout was the fifth contest they've won by 6+ runs this season.

Ellie Peterson was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in May of 2024.

In other batting news, Sydni Madison was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high. Claire Nielsen also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.

Hayward's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-7. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Northwestern, their record now sits at 10-2.

Hayward was able to grind out a solid victory over Northwestern in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, winning 5-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hurricanes since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.