The New Philadelphia Quakers will square off against the Newcomerstown Trojans at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
New Philadelphia's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They were the clear victors by an 11-0 margin over Ashland. The Quakers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven contests by eight runs or more this season.
Jillian Howard
| 04/23/25 vs Ashland | 3 |
| 04/15/25 vs Mansfield Senior | 2 |
| 03/25/25 vs Lexington | 2 |
| 05/10/24 @ John Glenn | 2 |
| 03/23/24 @ Tri-Valley | 2 |
Jillian Howard was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out six over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, New Philadelphia got a big performance out of Sara Cardani, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs and one double. That's the most runs Cardani has posted since back in March of 2024. Easton Miller was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
New Philadelphia was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .500. They are a perfect 8-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Newcomerstown). Everything went their way against Malvern on Wednesday as they made off with a 17-1 victory. The win continues a trend for the Trojans in their matchups with the Hornets: they've now won four in a row.
Brandi Morris made a splash no matter where she played. She pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Morris was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Maddie Kellish, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Those RBI marked the first that she has brought in this season. Another player making a difference was McConnell Makayla, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI.
New Philadelphia is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last nine games. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-6 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.6 runs over those games. As for Newcomerstown, their win was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 3-3.
Friday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. New Philadelphia hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .337. However, it's not like Newcomerstown struggles in that department as they've averaged .318. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
