The Waterloo Vikings will square off against the Jackson-Milton Bluejays at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Waterloo is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering United just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Wednesday. They came up short against the Golden Eagles, falling 20-6.
Meanwhile, Jackson-Milton waltzed into their game on Wednesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They were the clear victors by an 18-3 margin over the Tigers. Considering the Bluejays have won six contests by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Katie Byers made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up three earned runs off four hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. She was even better at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and one double.
In other batting news, Jackson-Milton got a massive performance out of Grace Johns, who went 2-for-3 with four runs, three RBI, and one triple. That triple was Johns' first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Ivy McBeth, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Jackson-Milton always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .636. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Springfield only posted an OBP of .333.
Jackson-Milton's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-1. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 17.3 runs over those games. As for Waterloo, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-2.
Waterloo came up short against Jackson-Milton in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, falling 7-2. Can the Vikings avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
