The West Chicago Wildcats are taking a road trip to take on the Naperville Central Redhawks at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. West Chicago will be strutting in after a win while Naperville Central will be coming in after a loss.
West Chicago's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They put the hurt on Streamwood with a sharp 17-0 victory. The win continues a trend for the Wildcats in their matchups with the Sabres: they've now won seven in a row.
Finn Gallagher
| 05/08/25 vs Streamwood | 4 |
| 03/27/25 vs Elgin | 5 |
Ava Pietanza and Finn Gallagher were major factors while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Pietanza tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Gallagher pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, she posted four strikeouts, the most she's had since back in March. At bat, Pietanza went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI, while Gallagher got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, Jasmyn Trigueros was incredible, going 3-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and two doubles. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April of 2024. Brielle Borner was another key player, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with three runs and two RBI.
West Chicago always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .788. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
For some reason, the away team has come away with the win the last four times Naperville Central and Neuqua Valley have met, but the home crowd finally got their W on Thursday. The Redhawks fell just short of the Wildcats by a score of 3-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Redhawks have suffered against the Wildcats since April 13, 2023.
Naperville Central saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Natalie Lau, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one run. Lau has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times she's played. Meredith Cann also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
West Chicago's record is now 14-8. As for Naperville Central, their loss dropped their record down to 14-11.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. West Chicago hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Naperville Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 1 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Everything went West Chicago's way against Naperville Central when the teams last played back in May of 2023, as West Chicago made off with a 13-0 victory. Do the Wildcats have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Redhawks turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
