The Howell Highlanders will face off against the Northwest Mounties at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Northwest will be up against a hot Howell team: the squad just extended their winning streak to five. Everything went the Highlanders' way against Plymouth on Wednesday as they made off with a 12-2 win. The Highlanders not only won on Wednesday, but they posted their biggest win since April 17th (when they won 17-2).
Allison Ulanowski spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on five hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up a single earned run in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Zoey Overton was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Caitlin Watripont, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base.
Howell always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .528. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in five consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Northwest waltzed into their contest on Thursday with two straight wins... but they left with three. Everything went their way against the Panthers as they made off with an 11-2 victory.
Lucy Bivens (2025) made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out 13 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits (and not a single walk). Bivens (2025) was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ari Good (2025), who went 2-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. That home run marked the first that she has launched this season. Ava Golightly (2025) was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three runs and one stolen base.
Howell's win was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-11-1. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.0 runs over those games. As for Northwest, their win bumped their record up to 7-2.
Everything went Howell's way against Northwest when the teams last played back in April of 2023, as Howell made off with a 13-3 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Highlanders since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
