The Walnut Grove Wildcats are taking a road trip to challenge the Lovejoy Leopards at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Walnut Grove is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They put the hurt on Greenville with a sharp 19-6 victory on Friday. Considering the Wildcats have won six games by more than seven runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Lyndsey Hooker
| 03/07/25 @ Greenville | 6 |
| 03/01/24 vs Permian | 4 |
| 02/27/24 vs Lebanon Trail | 4 |
| 02/27/25 vs Flower Mound | 3 |
| 03/05/24 @ Centennial | 3 |
Lyndsey Hooker was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she pitched 2.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. She was even better at the plate, going 2-for-5 with one home run, six RBI, and three runs. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Vivian McKernan, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances. Kailee James also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Lovejoy ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They were the clear victor by a 12-5 margin over Denison. The Leopards haven't had any issues with the Yellow Jackets recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
Like Walnut Grove, Lovejoy also got a great game from a two-way player: Izzy Guarriello. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits (and only one walk). Guarriello was also stellar in the batter's box, firing off two home runs and three RBI while going 3-for-5.
In other batting news, Torii Johannes was incredible, going 3-for-5 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Aubrey Struthers, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-4.
Lovejoy kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Walnut Grove's victory was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-5. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 8.5 runs. As for Lovejoy, they now have a winning record of 8-7.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Tuesday. Walnut Grove hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 1 home runs per game. However, it's not like Lovejoy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.5 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Walnut Grove came out on top in a nail-biter against Lovejoy when the teams last played back in February of 2024, sneaking past 2-1. Will Walnut Grove repeat their success, or does Lovejoy have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
