Petal is on a five-game streak of home wins, while Northwest Rankin is on a 20-game streak of away wins (dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. A feisty cat fight will be fought as Petal Panthers face off against Northwest Rankin Cougars at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Petal 2.9, Northwest Rankin 1.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Petal is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victors by a 16-1 margin over Oak Grove on Tuesday. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten matches by six runs or more this season.
Jaley Weathersby looked comfortable as she tossed four innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 13 consecutive appearances.
Taylor Foster
| 04/01/25 @ Oak Grove | 6 |
| 02/15/25 vs Mary G. Montgomery | 4 |
| 04/02/24 vs Oak Grove | 4 |
| 02/22/24 @ Mize | 4 |
| 04/11/24 vs Mize | 3 |
At the plate, Taylor Foster was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run, six RBI, and two runs. Those six RBI gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Layla Brock, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
Petal kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Northwest Rankin faced Brandon in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Tuesday. The Cougars walked away with an 8-5 win over the Bulldogs. The victory continues a trend for the Cougars in their matchups with the Bulldogs: they've now won eight in a row.
Grace Wallis was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She struck out seven batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. Wallis was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Hannah Sullivan, who scored a run while going 1-for-3. Jaliya Sullivian was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one home run.
Petal is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 11 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 16-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Northwest Rankin, their victory bumped their record up to 18-2.
Petal couldn't quite get it done against Northwest Rankin in their previous matchup two weeks ago as they fell 5-2. Will the Panthers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
