The Monroe Bearcats will take on the Stanwood Spartans at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Monroe sitting on six straight victories and Stanwood on five.
It was a proper cat-fight when Monroe challenged Snohomish on Tuesday. The Bearcats walked away with a 9-5 win over the Panthers.
Addy Bryant made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over six innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Vivian Knuckey was incredible, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run and two RBI. Sophia Jeske was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Stanwood won against Cascade two weeks ago with 12 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Wednesday. The Spartans came out on top against Mountlake Terrace by a score of 12-7.
Like Monroe, Stanwood also got a great game from a two-way player: Megan Stulc. Throwing, Stulc struck out ten batters over five innings while giving up five earned (and two unearned) runs off nine hits (and only one walk). Meanwhile, Addison Anderson tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. At the plate, Stulc went 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI, while Anderson went 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That home run was Stulc's first of the season.
In other batting news, Stanwood let Jordan Rancourt and Rubi Lopez run wild. Rancourt scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3, while Lopez scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. Rancourt also put up a home run, which was her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Reagan Ryan, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-3.
Stanwood lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Stanwood's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-1. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.8 runs over those games. As for Monroe, their record is now 8-4.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Monroe hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.9 home runs per game. However, it's not like Stanwood struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.6 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Monroe might still be hurting after the 14-4 defeat they got from Stanwood in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Can the Bearcats avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
