Softball Game Preview: Ida B. Wells Guardians vs. Cleveland Warriors

Ida B. Wells and Cleveland are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2019, but likely not for long. The Guardians will head out on the road to take on the Warriors at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Ida B. Wells will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.

Ida B. Wells is headed into the match having just posted their closest win since March 18th on Friday. They had just enough and edged out Grant 2-1. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

The team relied heavily on Kai Wisher, who got on base in all three of her plate appearances with one triple, one stolen base, and one run. That triple marked the first that she hit this season.

Meanwhile, Cleveland beat Franklin 7-2 on Friday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Warriors.

Jillian Lee made a big impact no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over 6.2 innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in May of 2024. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run.

In other batting news, Kailen Steffek and Vivian Schroedel did most of the damage at the plate: Steffek went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and three RBI, while Schroedel scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. The dominant performance also gave Schroedel a new career-high in hits (two). Sara Cass was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.

Cleveland's record now sits at 3-8. As for Ida B. Wells, they now have a winning record of 6-5.

Ida B. Wells was able to grind out a solid victory over Cleveland in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, winning 8-3. Will the Guardians repeat their success, or do the Warriors have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.