The Licking Valley Panthers will head out to challenge the Bloom-Carroll Bulldogs at 5:15 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Licking Valley 3.5, Bloom-Carroll 2.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Licking Valley made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Watkins Memorial, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Panthers fell just short of the Warriors by a score of 4-2 on Monday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Panthers have suffered since May 18, 2024.
Emory Whisner
| 04/21/25 vs Watkins Memorial | 2 |
| 04/18/25 @ Mt. Vernon | 2 |
| 04/17/25 @ Licking Heights | 2 |
| 04/04/25 vs Northridge | 0 |
Emory Whisner spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and three unearned) runs on two hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, D'Neya Dennis made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 3-for-4 with one triple, one double, and one RBI. That triple was her first of the season.
Meanwhile, Bloom-Carroll put another one in the bag on Wednesday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past Fairfield Union 16-9. The result was nothing new for the Bulldogs, who have now won 12 games by seven runs or more so far this season.
Maddi Walters made a splash while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over 5.1 innings pitched. Walters was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with three runs, one triple, and two RBI. Those three runs gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Bloom-Carroll got a massive performance out of Madelyn Gates, who got on base in four of her five plate appearances with one home run, four runs, and two RBI. Jaiden Sharrow was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs.
Bloom-Carroll always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .537. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .537 or higher in four consecutive contests.
Bloom-Carroll's victory was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 16-0. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.6 runs on average over those games. As for Licking Valley, their defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 7-4.
Licking Valley came out on top in a nail-biter against Bloom-Carroll when the teams last played back in April of 2024, sneaking past 2-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
