Softball Recap: Itasca Comes Up Short

After soaring to 20 runs the game before, Itasca was a bit more limited in their matchup on Friday. They lost 11-2 to the Italy Gladiators. If the Wampus Cats were looking for revenge after losing 26-18 to the Gladiators when the teams met back in April of 2025, then they'll just have to keep looking.

Rylee Markwardt and Riley Littlejohn stepped up to the plate in a big way. Markwardt went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and one run, while Littlejohn went 1-for-2 with one home run. Those stolen bases marked the first that Markwardt has snagged this season.

Itasca's defeat dropped their record down to 2-8. As for Italy, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 10-6-1.

Coming up, Itasca is taking a road trip to challenge Blum at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The Bobcats have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 17 runs per game on average), something the Wampus Cats will no doubt try to take advantage of. As for Italy, they will welcome Hico at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday.