Lakers
| 04/15/25 vs Maple Lake | 10 |
| 04/14/25 @ Glencoe-Silver Lake | 13 |
| 04/10/25 vs Le Sueur-Henderson | 4 |
| 04/10/25 vs New London-Spicer | 10 |
| 04/08/25 @ Litchfield | 5 |
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted hasn't had much luck against Annandale recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Lakers will host the Cardinals at 4:00 p.m. Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.4 runs per game this season.
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 10-0 margin over Maple Lake. While the Lakers didn't have the best season last year (they finished 7-18), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Olivia Cardinal and Faith Mallak did most of the damage at the plate: Cardinal went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs, while Mallak went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those three RBI gave Mallak a new career-high. Breckyn Jonell was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .391. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .350 or higher in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Annandale was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat dating back to last season. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 6-5 heartbreaker at the hands of Becker.
Annandale saw eight different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Shirley Langbehn, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted's victory bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Annandale, their loss dropped their record down to 0-3.
Annandale's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.2 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Annandale, though, as they've been averaging only 3.3 strikeouts. Will Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted keep running through batters, or will the Cardinals buck the trend?
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted might still be hurting after the 13-1 defeat they got from Annandale in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Lakers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
