Woodland is 3-0 against Grant Park since April of 2022, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. The Woodland Warriors will be staying on the road to face off against the Grant Park Dragons at 10:00 p.m. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Woodland is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Walther Christian Academy a 19-0 shutout. Woodland's hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Shae Simons made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over four innings pitched. Simons has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in 13 consecutive pitching appearances. Simons was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, four RBI, and two runs.
In other batting news, Olivia Chismarick and Ella Derossett did most of the damage at the plate: Chismarick went 2-for-3 with a home run, two stolen bases, and three runs, while Derossett scored three runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-3. Emma Palaschak was another key contributor, scoring three runs and stealing three bases while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, Grant Park sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-2 victory over Illinois Lutheran on Tuesday.
Like Woodland, Grant Park also got a great game from a two-way player: Cheyenne Hayes. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out 16 over seven innings pitched. Hayes was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Hayes wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Reegan Thompson, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Woodland is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last 12 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 15-10 record this season. As for Grant Park, their win bumped their record up to 12-14.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Woodland has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Grant Park struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.8. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Woodland skirted past Grant Park 2-0 in their previous matchup back in April. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Hayes, who struck out 11 batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Woodland still be able to contain Hayes? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
