Badger hasn't had much luck against Westosha Central recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Badgers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Falcons at 4:30 p.m. Badger will be looking to extend their current seven-game winning streak.
While Badger didn't have the best season last year (they finished 5-18), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They put the hurt on Monroe with a sharp 9-3 win on Saturday.
Lylla Metcalf looked comfortable as she tossed three innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Miah Butinas, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Claire Polyock was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three runs and one stolen base.
Badger kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.2 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 games they've averaged 12.
Meanwhile, Westosha Central sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-4 victory over Burlington on Friday.
Megan Lampos was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Alex McKinney was excellent, going 3-for-4 with one double and one RBI. Abby Plapp also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Badger pushed their record up to 8-3 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Westosha Central, their win bumped their record up to 5-2.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Monday. Badger hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 1 home runs per game. However, it's not like Westosha Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.6 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Badger might still be hurting after the 11-0 defeat they got from Westosha Central in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Can the Badgers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
