Owatonna is 1-9 against Mankato East since May of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. The Huskies will square off against the Cougars at 12:00 p.m. Neither Owatonna nor Mankato East posted many runs in their last games, so it might be the pitching crews that decide this one.
On Thursday, Owatonna came up short against Mayo and fell 4-1.
Jess Smith spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned runs on nine hits and racked up ten Ks.
Meanwhile, Mankato East fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against Century on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Panthers by a score of 4-2. The loss was the Cougars' first of the season.
Mankato East also let their pitcher toss all eight innings and she was also dialed-in: Chloe Grams gave up three earned (and one unearned) runs on eight hits and racked up eight Ks. Grams has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, London Hart was cooking despite her team's loss, going 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. That double marked the first that she has hit this season.
Having lost for the first time this season, Mankato East fell to 3-1. As for Owatonna, their defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 2-2.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Owatonna has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Mankato East struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Owatonna came up short against Mankato East when the teams last played back in May of 2025, falling 5-2. Can the Huskies avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
