Softball Preview: Maple Lake Irish vs. Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Lakers
Maple Lake is 9-1 against Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted since April of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Maple Lake Irish will head out on the road to take on the Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Lakers at 4:30 p.m. Maple Lake is coming into the match on a four-game losing streak.
Maple Lake will head into Thursday's contest ready to turn things around: they lost a close one when they played on Thursday but unfortunately for them the defeat they were handed on Thursday was a bit more commanding. They lost 15-3 to Eden Valley-Watkins.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They were the clear victor by a 10-3 margin over Watertown-Mayer on Monday. Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted's hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Kirsten Heber spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on ten hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than six innings in four consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted got a massive performance out of Anna Smith, who scored two runs and stole four bases while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Kelsi Jude, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Maple Lake's loss dropped their record down to 1-6. As for Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted, their win ended a 14-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 3-8.
Maple Lake beat Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 4-1 in their previous matchup back in May of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for Maple Lake since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
