The Dowagiac Chieftains will head out to face off against the Berrien Springs Shamrocks at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Dowagiac has six straight wins, Berrien Springs has five straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Friday, Dowagiac made easy work of Constantine and carried off an 18-7 victory. Considering the Chieftains have won 15 matches by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Charleigh Reed
| 05/09/25 vs Constantine | 4 |
| 05/06/25 vs Brandywine | 3 |
| 04/23/25 vs Niles | 3 |
| 04/16/25 vs Buchanan | 3 |
| 04/11/25 vs South Haven | 3 |
Dowagiac let Marlie Carpenter and Charleigh Reed run wild. Carpenter got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run, four runs, and three RBI, while Reed went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. Those four RBI gave Reed a new career-high. Bree Behnke was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
Dowagiac was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .600. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .500 or higher in six consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Tuesday just wasn't the day for Berrien Springs' offense. They came up short against Buchanan on Tuesday, falling 15-0.
Dowagiac pushed their record up to 22-2 with the win, which was their 16th straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.6 runs on average over those games. As for Berrien Springs, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-14.
Tuesday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Dowagiac hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .435. However, it's not like Berrien Springs struggles in that department as they've averaged .381. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Dowagiac's way against Berrien Springs when the teams last played back in May of 2024, as Dowagiac made off with a 16-6 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Chieftains since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
