The Cassville Wildcats will challenge the Monett Cubs at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Cassville will be looking to extend their current seven-game winning streak.
Cassville's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They walked away with a 3-0 win over Seneca.
Not much got past Lili Naugle, who gave up just a hit and racked up 18 Ks to keep Seneca off the board.
On the hitting side, Aubrey Stoufer was excellent, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two runs.
Monett came out on top against Nevada on Tuesday thanks in part to the team's impressive nine-run first inning. The Cubs were the clear victors by a 14-0 margin over the Tigers. Considering the Cubs have won four games by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Kilee Wilson made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out 13 over five innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That triple marked the first that she has hit this season.
In other batting news, Emma Velten was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with four stolen bases and three runs. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 1.4 stolen bases per game. Kenzi Waterman was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Monett hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They are 3-1 when they post two or more strikeouts.
Cassville's victory bumped their record up to 8-3. As for Monett, their win bumped their record up to 4-9.
Monett's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Cassville hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .351. It's a different story for Monett, though, as they've only averaged .259. Will they be able to contain Cassville's hitters?
Everything went Cassville's way against Monett in their previous matchup two weeks ago, as Cassville made off with a 20-2 victory. Will the Wildcats repeat their success, or do the Cubs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
