The Niles West Wolves will head out on the road to take on the Lincoln Park Lions at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the pair will really light up the scoreboard.
Niles West is headed into the game fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Maine East a 24-0 shutout on Thursday. Considering Niles West has won four matchups by more than six runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Penny Hutchinson made a big impact no matter where she played. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out nine over four innings pitched. Hutchinson has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances. Hutchinson was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a home run, six RBI, and two runs.
In other batting news, Olivia Pukal was incredible, going 4-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and a stolen base. Mackenzie Bickhaus was another key contributor, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-3.
Meanwhile, Lincoln Park got the win against Hancock on Thursday by a conclusive 18-7.
Like Niles West, Lincoln Park also got a great game from a two-way player: Susanna Morris. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out ten over seven innings pitched. Morris was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-5.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lindsey Shraiberg, who scored three runs while going 4-for-4. Another player making a difference was Laurel Gibbons, who scored three runs while going 1-for-5.
The win made it two in a row for Niles West and bumps their season record up to 6-7. As for Lincoln Park, their victory ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 3-8-1.
Lincoln Park's pitching crew has a tough task ahead of them: Niles West has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.2 hits per game. It's a different story for Lincoln Park, though, as they've been averaging 8.7. Given Niles West's sizable advantage in that area, Lincoln Park will need to find a way to close that gap.
Niles West took their win against Lincoln Park in their previous meeting back in May of 2023 by a conclusive 14-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for Niles West since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
