Kickapoo had lost six straight on the road, but on Friday they dropped down to 2-11 to make it seven. They lost 14-4 to the De Soto Pirates. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Panthers of the 9-0 loss they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in May of 2025.
Lorelai Young was cooking despite her team's loss, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Haylee Peterson, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double.
As for De Soto, the win (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 8-9. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.3 runs over those games.
On De Soto's side, Ella Koch made a splash no matter where she played. She struck out 11 batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits (and only one walk). With that strong performance, Koch is now averaging an impressive 5.1 strikeouts per game. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of her five plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double.
In other batting news, Ava Kozelka and Kylee Venner did most of the damage at the plate: Kozelka went 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI, while Venner went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Those two hits gave Kozelka a new career-high. Sylvia Krueger was another key player, going 2-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
The teams didn't have to wait long for a rematch: De Soto beat Kickapoo by a score of 23-0 later that day.
