Prairie du Chien is on a five-game streak of home wins, while Dodgeville is on a five-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Blackhawks will welcome the Dodgers at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
Prairie du Chien had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the seven-run drubbing they dealt Bangor on Saturday. The Blackhawks were the clear victors by an 8-1 margin over the Cardinals. The Blackhawks might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by six runs or more this season.
Claire Kennedy was a major factor no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out nine over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, Prairie du Chien let Irelynd Cejka and Rita Achenbach run wild. Cejka went 1-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double, while Achenbach went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Dodgeville). They never let Belleville get on the board and left with an 18-0 victory on Friday. The win continues a trend for the Dodgers in their matchups with the Wildcats: they've now won three in a row.
Like Prairie du Chien, Dodgeville also got a great game from a two-way player: Ava Lord. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Lord was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with four runs and three RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in May of 2024.
In other batting news, Emma Dougherty was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and three runs. Those five RBI gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Brienna Wasley, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
Dodgeville kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Belleville only managed one hit.
Prairie du Chien has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Dodgeville, their win bumped their record up to 9-5.
Monday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Prairie du Chien hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .330. However, it's not like Dodgeville struggles in that department as they've averaged .315. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Prairie du Chien couldn't quite finish off Dodgeville in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 and fell 11-9. Can the Blackhawks avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
