The McGuffey Highlanders are taking a road trip to challenge the East Allegheny Wild Cats at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (McGuffey has three straight wins, East Allegheny has eight straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
For some reason, the away team has come away with the win the last six times McGuffey and Charleroi have met, but the home crowd finally got their W on Tuesday. The Highlanders blew past the Cougars 9-1. Considering the Highlanders have won six games by more than seven runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Makenna Crothers
| 04/22/25 vs Charleroi | 6 |
| 04/17/25 @ Charleroi | 6 |
| 04/16/25 @ Keystone Oaks | 8 |
| 04/14/25 vs Steel Valley | 9 |
| 04/11/25 @ South Park | 6 |
| 04/09/25 vs East Allegheny | 15 |
Makenna Crothers made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out six batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off six hits (and not a single walk). She has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in six consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and one double. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Miley Main, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double. Another player making a difference was Maura Janovich, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
McGuffey kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in four consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, East Allegheny came up short against Steel Valley on Tuesday, falling 13-1.
McGuffey pushed their record up to 8-4 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.6 runs over those games. As for East Allegheny, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-8.
McGuffey's speedy runners might be the difference in Wednesday's contest. The Highlanders have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.7 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for East Allegheny, though, as they've been averaging only 1 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will McGuffey continue to outrun the ball?
Everything went McGuffey's way against East Allegheny in their previous meeting two weeks ago, as McGuffey made off with a 10-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Highlanders since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
