Panthers
| 05/06/25 @ Wheaton North | 14 |
| 05/05/25 vs Plainfield South | 2 |
| 05/01/25 @ Joliet West | 17 |
| 04/30/25 vs Plainfield Central | 10 |
| 04/29/25 vs Naperville North | 13 |
| + 18 more games |
The Oswego Panthers will head out to square off against the Plainfield East Bengals at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Oswego is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 11.3 runs per game this season.
Oswego is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Illinois' top teams: Wheaton North, who was ranked fifth at the time (Oswego was ranked fourth). The Panthers sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 14-12 win over the Falcons on Tuesday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Panthers considering their two-run performance the contest before.
Jaelynn Anthony made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. She was even better at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and one double.
In other batting news, Rikka Ludvigson was incredible, firing off two home runs, three runs, and three RBI while going 4-for-4. That's the most runs she has posted since back in April. Kiyah Chavez was another key player, going 2-for-5 with one home run and three RBI.
Oswego lost a few balls and finished the game with five home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Plainfield East, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They had just enough and edged out Plainfield North 5-4.
Jocelyn Cushard spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned runs on six hits and racked up 12 Ks.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Corinne Garmon, who went 2-for-4 with one home run and two runs. Iliana Smith also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Oswego pushed their record up to 22-1 with the victory, which was their 16th straight on the road dating back to last season. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.1 runs over those games. As for Plainfield East, they are on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 12 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-8 record this season.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Wednesday. Oswego hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 1.7 home runs per game. However, it's not like Plainfield East struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.6 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Oswego took their victory against Plainfield East in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 14-4 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
