The Howland Tigers will square off against the Boardman Spartans at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Howland's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They blew past Chaney 24-0. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Tigers.
Maya Kubancsek
| 05/14/26 vs Chaney | 7 |
| 05/12/26 vs Hubbard | 6 |
| 04/28/25 @ Canfield | 4 |
| 04/22/26 @ Harding | 3 |
| 05/08/25 vs Columbiana | 3 |
Makenna Perry and Maya Kubancsek made a splash no matter where they played. On the mound, Perry pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Kubancsek tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Perry has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. At the plate, Perry went a perfect 5-for-5 with one home run, three stolen bases, and three runs, while Kubancsek fired off two home runs, seven RBI, and three runs while going 5-for-5. Those seven RBI gave Kubancsek a new career-high.
In other batting news, Madison Schmitz was excellent, going a perfect 5-for-5 with one home run, four stolen bases, and five runs. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 2.1 runs per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Michelina Wayt, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Howland hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Chaney struck out nine times.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Boardman). They put the hurt on East with a sharp 19-0 win on Thursday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Emily Swantek was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Swantek was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with three runs and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Addie Rudge, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Ellie Wymer, who got on base in all three of her plate appearances with three stolen bases and three runs.
Boardman's win bumped their record up to 16-7. As for Howland, their victory bumped their record up to 15-7.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Howland hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.8 home runs per game. However, it's not like Boardman struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.5 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Howland suffered a grim 7-0 defeat to Boardman in their previous matchup on Monday. Will the Tigers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
