Donovan hasn't had much luck against Gardner-South Wilmington recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Wildcats will face off against the Panthers at 4:30 p.m. Donovan will be looking to extend their current five-game winning streak.
It was a proper cat-fight when Donovan faced off against St. Anne on Friday. The Wildcats were the clear victors by a 12-1 margin over the Cardinals. The Wildcats might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by ten runs or more this season.
Bailey Henneike was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Chloe Ponton, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base.
Donovan was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .407. The last time their batting average was this high was was before the start of last season.
Meanwhile, Gardner-South Wilmington owes their pitching crew a big pat on the back after their performance on Monday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Lexington 1-0. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Panthers.
Not much got past Maddie Simms, who gave up just a hit and racked up 11 Ks to keep Lexington off the board.
At the plate, Gardner-South Wilmington saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Nina Siano, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base.
Donovan's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-8. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.0 runs over those games. As for Gardner-South Wilmington, their record now sits at 15-9.
Donovan's speedy runners might be the difference in Tuesday's match. The Wildcats have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.7 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Gardner-South Wilmington, though, as they've been averaging only 0.9 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Donovan continue to outrun the ball?
Donovan might still be hurting after the 15-3 loss they got from Gardner-South Wilmington in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Wildcats avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
