The Mabel-Canton Cougars will square off against the Hayfield Vikings at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Mabel-Canton will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.
Mabel-Canton's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They came out on top against Rushford-Peterson by a score of 4-0. That's two games straight that the Cougars have won by exactly four runs.
| 04/30/26 @ Rushford-Peterson | 14 |
| 04/28/26 @ Spring Grove | 17 |
| 04/27/26 vs Grand Meadow/Kingsland/LeRoy-Ostrander | 14 |
| 04/24/26 vs Goodhue | 11 |
| 04/23/26 vs Lyle/Pacelli | 10 |
| + 7 more games |
Not much got past Tylar Wenthold, who gave up just four hits and racked up 14 Ks to keep Rushford-Peterson off the board. Wenthold has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts any time she's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Whitney Williams, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Syeirra Stortz, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, after low-scoring totals in their previous three matchup, Hayfield brought some dynamite into their most recent game. They put the hurt on Bethlehem Academy with a sharp 12-3 win on Thursday. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Vikings' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Ella Bamlet made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. Bamlet was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Kenna Rutledge was incredible, going a perfect 5-for-5 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in May of 2025. June Schmeling was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
Hayfield kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 17 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Mabel-Canton's victory bumped their record up to 7-5. As for Hayfield, their win bumped their record up to 4-7.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Mabel-Canton has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Hayfield struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Mabel-Canton suffered a grim 10-2 defeat to Hayfield when the teams last played back in May of 2025. Can the Cougars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
