Southwestern is 0-10 against Fredonia since May of 2019 but things could change on Friday. The Trojans will be playing in front of their home fans against the Hillbillies at 5:00 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Southwestern is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Jamestown 13-5 on Thursday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Trojans considering their one-run performance the game before.
Madi Burnett spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and three unearned) runs on two hits and racked up 13 Ks.
On the hitting side, Southwestern let Kate Casel and Addison Shaw run wild. Casel went 4-for-5 with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI, while Shaw went 4-for-5 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. Those three RBI gave Shaw a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Siri Dubois, who went 2-for-5 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run.
Southwestern always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .537. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Fredonia came tearing into Thursday's contest with eight straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 5-1 victory over the Gators.
Danielle Palisin was a major factor no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Anna Delcamp, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI. Ava Muck was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Fredonia pushed their record up to 9-1 with the win, which was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.2 runs on average over those games. As for Southwestern, their win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 4-9.
Southwestern couldn't quite get it done against Fredonia in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 as they fell 3-0. Will the Trojans have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.