The Erie-Prophetstown Panthers will head out on the road to take on the Mercer County Golden Eagles at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Erie-Prophetstown is no doubt hoping to put an end to a nine-game streak of away losses dating back to last season.
Erie-Prophetstown scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Thursday. They had just enough and edged Annawan out 7-6.
Wynn Renkes made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out seven over 5.2 innings pitched. Renkes was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Lilly Swatos was excellent, scoring a run while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Lillian McWilliams, who went 1-for-3 with a triple, a run, and an RBI.
Meanwhile, Mercer County put another one in the bag on Thursday to keep their perfect season alive. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Orion 3-2.
Elsie Cook tossed a big game, tossing seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off eight hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Hallie Schreurs was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaylee Gray, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a double.
Erie-Prophetstown made their fans wait, but they earned their first win of the season to make their record 1-3. As for Mercer County, their record is now 4-0.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Erie-Prophetstown has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Mercer County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.5. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Erie-Prophetstown came up short against Mercer County in their previous meeting back in March of 2023, falling 10-5. Thankfully for Erie-Prophetstown, Madi Frieden (who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with three stolen bases, two runs, and a triple) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
