Softball Game Preview: Plainfield Central Wildcats vs. Plainfield South Cougars

Plainfield Central is 2-8 against Plainfield South since May of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. The Wildcats will welcome the Cougars at 4:30 p.m. Plainfield Central is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.1 runs per game this season.

Plainfield Central took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. Everything went their way against Joliet Central as they made off with a 16-1 win. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Wildcats considering their two-run performance the game before.

Kaylynn Howe looked comfortable as she struck out nine batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and only one walk). Those nine strikeouts gave her a new career-high.

Ava Sommerfeld

Hits (Career)

04/21/25 vs Joliet Central	3
04/17/25 @ Romeoville	2
04/08/25 @ Naperville Central	2
04/03/25 vs Yorkville Christian	2
03/29/25 vs Coal City	2

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Ava Sommerfeld, who fired off three home runs and eight RBI while going 3-for-3. Those three hits gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Maeve Carlton, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.

Plainfield Central always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .516. They are undefeated (3-0) when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

Meanwhile, Plainfield South entered their match against Plainfield East on Tuesday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. The Cougars fell 6-2 to the Bengals. Surprisingly, this marked the Cougars' fourth straight game in which the away team has come away the victor.

Plainfield Central's victory bumped their record up to 6-8-1. As for Plainfield South, their loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 9-7.

Plainfield Central might still be hurting after the 10-2 defeat they got from Plainfield South in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Wildcats avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.