Cary-Grove is 2-8 against McHenry since May of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Trojans will face off against the Warriors at 4:30 p.m.
Cary-Grove fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against Prairie Ridge on Monday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Wolves by a score of 6-5.
Paityn Ahlquist put in work while hitting and pitching. She struck out 14 batters over 7.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and five unearned) runs off eight hits (and not a single walk). The dominant performance also gave her a new career-low in walks (zero). She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Ahlquist wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Lyla Murray, who went 2-for-4 with two runs. Ella Grimm was another, getting on base in two of her four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, McHenry can bid farewell to their three-game losing streak thanks to their game on Wednesday. They were the clear victors by a 15-1 margin over Crystal Lake South. The Warriors might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight games by six runs or more this season.
Brooke Snyder tossed a big game, striking out eight batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, McHenry got a massive performance out of Natalie Bender, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with five RBI, three doubles, and two runs. That's the most hits Bender has posted over her last 15 matchups. The team also got some help courtesy of Elyse Fullington, who went 3-for-4 with three doubles, three RBI, and two runs.
McHenry kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are 7-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
McHenry's record now sits at 9-11. As for Cary-Grove, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-11.
Cary-Grove came out on top in a nail-biter against McHenry when the teams last played on April 10th, sneaking past 6-4. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Trojans since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
