The Middleton Cardinals will square off against the Vel Phillips Memorial Spartans at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Middleton comes in on 11 and Vel Phillips Memorial on three.
If Middleton beats Vel Phillips Memorial with six runs on Tuesday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two contests with that exact score. The Cardinals beat Watertown on Monday by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 6-2.
Megan Button was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off nine hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in two of her four plate appearances with two runs.
Kylie Klock
| 04/28/25 @ Watertown | 5 |
| 04/16/25 @ Janesville Craig | 3 |
| 04/19/25 vs River Falls | 2 |
| 03/27/25 vs Vel Phillips Memorial | 2 |
| 04/26/24 vs Verona | 2 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kylie Klock, who went 2-for-4 with five RBI, one run, and one double. Those five RBI gave her a new career-high. Macey Blazek was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two runs.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Vel Phillips Memorial). They were the clear victors by a 23-8 margin over Madison East on Thursday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Spartans with their most commanding win of the season.
Vel Phillips Memorial got a massive performance out of Sophia Rocha, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs and four RBI. Another player making a difference was Lauren O'Donnell, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with four runs and three RBI.
Vel Phillips Memorial kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their hit total in three consecutive matchups.
Middleton pushed their record up to 13-1 with the victory, which was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.4 runs on average over those games. As for Vel Phillips Memorial, their record now sits at 6-4.
Vel Phillips Memorial's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Middleton has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.1 hits per game. It's a different story for Vel Phillips Memorial, though, as they've been averaging 8.7 hits. Given Middleton's sizable advantage in that area, the Spartans will need to find a way to close that gap.
Middleton took their victory against Vel Phillips Memorial in their previous matchup back in March by a conclusive 13-2 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cardinals since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
