North East is on a five-game streak of home losses, and Fairview a three-game streak of away losses. However, someone's due for a change in luck on Friday. The North East Grape Pickers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Fairview Tigers at 4:00 p.m. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
Having struggled with six losses in a row, North East turned things around against Cathedral Prep on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 13-4 margin over the Ramblers. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Grape Pickers' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Sydney Wittman made a splash no matter where she played. She struck out six batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. Wittman was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three runs, two RBI, and one double. That's the most runs she has posted since back in April of 2025.
Allison Wilkinson
| 05/07/26 @ Cathedral Prep | 4 |
| 05/08/25 @ Cathedral Prep | 3 |
| 03/24/26 @ Union City | 2 |
| 04/29/25 @ Conneaut Area | 2 |
| 04/03/25 vs Girard | 2 |
In other batting news, Allison Wilkinson was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and two doubles. Those four hits gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Mya Miller, who went 1-for-4 with three runs.
North East was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Cathedral Prep only posted a batting average of .222.
Meanwhile, Fairview made easy work of Girard on Thursday and carried off an 8-1 win. The result was nothing new for the Tigers, who have now won four games by seven runs or more so far this season.
North East's victory bumped their record up to 3-15. As for Fairview, the win got them back to even at 6-6.
North East might still be hurting after the 17-2 defeat they got from Fairview in their previous matchup back in April. Will the Grape Pickers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
