Softball Game Preview: New Prairie Cougars vs. Elkhart Lions

Cougars

Runs

04/23/25 @ South Bend Saint Joseph	11
04/22/25 @ Elkhart	4
04/21/25 @ Lakeshore	1
04/19/25 @ La Porte	15
04/19/25 @ La Porte	14
+ 8 more games

New Prairie is a perfect 5-0 against Elkhart since April of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Cougars will host the Lions at 4:30 p.m. New Prairie is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7 runs per game this season.

New Prairie will bounce into Thursday's match after beating South Bend Saint Joseph, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Cougars never let the Huskies get on the board and left with an 11-0 win on Wednesday. The game was the first time the Cougars have beaten the Huskies on their field since May 23, 2019.

Ella Chelminiak was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double. Another player making a difference was Abby Harmon, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs.

They weren't the only ones making solid contact: New Prairie kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post 11 or more hits.

Meanwhile, Tuesday just wasn't the day for Elkhart's offense. They fell 4-0 to New Prairie on Tuesday. The loss continues a trend for the Lions in their meetings with the Cougars: they've now lost five in a row.

Laci Stimac spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four runs (all of which were unearned) on seven hits.

At the plate, Elkhart saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Addison Reid, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases.

New Prairie has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.9 runs on average over those games. As for Elkhart, their defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 5-4.

New Prairie beat Elkhart 4-0 when the teams last played on Tuesday. Will the Cougars repeat their success, or do the Lions have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.