Softball Game Preview: Riesel Indians vs. Itasca Wampus Cats

The Riesel Indians will challenge the Itasca Wampus Cats at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Riesel is coming into the game hot, having won their last 11 games.

On Monday, Riesel was able to grind out a solid win over McGregor, taking the game 9-5.

Kyleigh Benton (UAM)

Batters Struck Out

04/21/25 vs McGregor	7
04/17/25 vs Axtell	7
04/11/25 @ Hubbard	6
04/08/25 vs Hubbard	7
04/01/25 vs Abbott	12
+ 3 more games

Kyleigh Benton (UAM) was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over seven innings while giving up four earned (and one unearned) runs off eight hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in eight consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one home run.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Sveva Mariotti, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with three runs, one triple, and one stolen base. That stolen base marked the first that she has snagged this season. Raizel Chaparro was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.

Meanwhile, after some red-hot attacks at the plate in their last three matchups, Itasca finally came back down to earth on Tuesday. They came up short against Hico, falling 12-0. The loss continues a trend for the Wampus Cats in their meetings with the Tigers: they've now lost eight in a row.

Itasca saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Emma Malke, who went 1-for-2 with one triple.

Riesel pushed their record up to 18-4-1 with the victory, which was their 18th straight at home dating back to last season. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.2 runs on average over those games. As for Itasca, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-11.