Softball Recap: Payton College Prep Now 6-1 over Last Seven Games

While Payton College Prep's win against Chicago Hope Academy wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Grizzlies sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-3 victory over Chicago Hope Academy on Thursday. That's two games straight that the Grizzlies have won by exactly two runs.

Johannah Kimbler

Batters Struck Out (Career)

05/01/25 @ Chicago Hope Academy	8
04/28/25 vs Trinity	5
04/26/25 @ Elmwood Park	3
04/22/25 @ Whitney Young	1
04/16/25 @ Taft	1

Johannah Kimbler was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits (and not a single walk). Those eight strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.

In other batting news, Lyla Hamilton was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run. Tessa McGuire was another key player, getting on base in two of her four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.

Payton College Prep is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-10 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.1 runs over those games. As for Chicago Hope Academy, they moved to 9-8 with that defeat, which also ended their four-game winning streak.

Payton College Prep didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next match, a 13-6 victory against Kennedy on the 5th. As for Chicago Hope Academy, they also wasted no time getting back out on the field and have already played their next game, a 16-5 loss against Timothy Christian on the 5th.