Softball Game Preview: Highland Trojans vs. Wheeler Bearcats

The Highland Trojans are taking a road trip to challenge the Wheeler Bearcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Highland will be strutting in after a victory while Wheeler will be coming in after a loss.

Highland will roll into the contest after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any runs on Wednesday, then bounced right back against Boone Grove on Thursday. The Trojans' pitchers stepped up to hand the Wolves a 12-0 shutout. The result was nothing new for the Trojans, who have now won ten games by six runs or more so far this season.

The team relied heavily on Hailey Thomas, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one triple. The team also got some help courtesy of Evie Rivera, who went 1-for-3 with one triple and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Wheeler came up short against Glenn on Thursday, falling 21-1. The match marked the Bearcats' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Cadence Piunti put in work no matter where she played. On the mound, she tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than one walk in 12 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one double.

In other batting news, Nora Howell was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double.

This is the second loss in a row for Wheeler and nudges their season record down to 17-7. As for Highland, their win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 16-11.

Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Highland hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like Wheeler 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.

Highland might still be hurting after the 13-5 defeat they got from Wheeler in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Can the Trojans avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.