The Wheeling Wildcats will head out on the road to face off against the Rolling Meadows Mustangs at 4:45 p.m. on Thursday. Wheeling's hitters haven't had much luck over their past three matchups, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Wheeling made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Elk Grove, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Wildcats fell just short of the Grenadiers by a score of 3-1 on Tuesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Wildcats have suffered since May 7, 2025.
Wheeling saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Alaina Costello, who went 3-for-4 with one run.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Rolling Meadows). They were the clear victors by a 26-3 margin over Maine East on Wednesday. With that win, the Mustangs brought their scoring average up to 6.6 runs per game.
Mary Linker was a major factor no matter where she played. She pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI and two runs.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Sophia Rappa, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and two doubles. Those four RBI gave her a new career-high. Taya Rozanski was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Rolling Meadows always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .675. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Wheeling's defeat dropped their record down to 7-7. As for Rolling Meadows, with the victory, they broke their three-game losing streak and moved their record to 8-13.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Wheeling hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .332. However, it's not like Rolling Meadows struggles in that department as they've averaged .321. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Wheeling skirted past Rolling Meadows 9-7 in their previous meeting on April 9th. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wildcats since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
