A feisty cat fight will be fought as Midlothian Panthers take on Ennis Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Midlothian took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They blew past Kaufman 11-1.
Paige Insley
| 04/01/25 vs Kaufman | 4 |
| 02/27/25 vs Grandview | 2 |
| 03/28/25 @ Midlothian Heritage | 1 |
| 03/12/25 vs Red Oak | 1 |
| 03/07/25 @ Kaufman | 1 |
Midlothian got a great performance from Paige Insley as she pitched five innings while giving up just one earned run off six hits. The dominant performance also gave Insley a new career-high in strikeouts (four).
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Aniyah Givens, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, five RBI, and three runs. Those five RBI gave her a new career-high. Madison Howard was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
Midlothian hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least three strikeouts batters in eight consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Ennis got themselves on the board against Crandall on Tuesday, but Crandall never followed suit. They put the hurt on the Pirates with a sharp 11-0 victory. The win continues a trend for the Lions in their matchups with the Pirates: they've now won five in a row.
Breona Benavidez made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over five innings pitched. She has been consistent : she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs.
In other batting news, Kaycee Slovak was incredible, going 1-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Analisa Salazar, who went 1-for-2 with one home run and three RBI.
Midlothian is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last 11 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-7-1 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.2 runs over those games. As for Ennis, their record is now 15-7.
Friday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Midlothian hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .355. However, it's not like Ennis struggles in that department as they've averaged .325. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Midlothian took their win against Ennis in their previous meeting back in March by a conclusive 8-0 score. 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.
