The Griffith Panthers will head out to square off against the Wheeler Bearcats at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Griffith's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. Everything went their way against River Forest as they made off with a 14-0 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Panthers.
Brylie Bridges made a splash while hitting and pitching. She struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Bridges was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
Natalie Vianello
| 04/14/25 vs River Forest | 3 |
| 05/20/24 vs River Forest | 2 |
| 05/09/24 vs Hammond | 1 |
| 05/08/24 @ Whiting | 1 |
| 05/06/24 vs Whiting | 1 |
In other batting news, Natalie Vianello was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while going 2-for-4. Those three stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Laney Poppa was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Griffith always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .594. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as River Forest only posted an OBP of .188.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Wheeler ultimately got the result they hoped for on Monday. They skirted past Illiana Christian 6-5.
Grace Gabriel spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned runs on 11 hits and racked up 11 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Ashlynne Trinidad and Isabela Lira did most of the damage at the plate: Trinidad scored a run while going 1-for-3, while Lira went 2-for-3 with two doubles. Trinidad also put up a double, which was her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Nora Howell, who went 1-for-3 with one triple and one run.
Griffith pushed their record up to 2-0 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. The team's perfect season has a lot to do with their hitting performance: the team's won by an average of 13.4 runs thus far. As for Wheeler, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Griffith couldn't quite finish off Wheeler in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 and fell 2-0. Can the Panthers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
