The Conant Cougars will head out to face off against the Hersey Huskies at 4:45 p.m. on Thursday. Conant's pitching crew has only allowed 3.3 runs per game this season, so Hersey's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Conant will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Monday, then bounced right back against Elk Grove on Tuesday. The Cougars put the hurt on the Grenadiers with a sharp 10-3 win. The result was nothing new for the Cougars, who have now won six contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Payton Ackman
| 04/21/26 vs Elk Grove | 13 |
| 04/20/26 vs Barrington | 2 |
| 04/17/26 vs York | 5 |
| 03/31/26 @ Wheeling | 11 |
| 03/20/26 vs Elk Grove | 6 |
| + 1 more games |
Payton Ackman made a splash no matter where she played. She struck out 13 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 5.1 strikeouts per game. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Brooke Arndt, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with two stolen bases, two doubles, and two RBI. Those two stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Cailyn Kehoe was another key player, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one double.
Conant always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .556. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Hersey ultimately got the result they hoped for on Tuesday. They had just enough and edged out Schaumburg 3-2.
Hersey's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-5. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.7 runs over those games. As for Conant, their record is now 10-3.
Everything went Conant's way against Hersey in their previous matchup two weeks ago, as Conant made off with a 12-6 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cougars since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
