The Havana Ducks will face off against the Beardstown Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Havana is coming into the contest hot, having won their last four games.
On Thursday, Havana earned a 7-2 win over PORTA/Ashland-Chandlerville Central.
Maddie Howerter spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on seven hits and racked up ten Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 12 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Kaydi Miller, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. Jenna Brooks also deserves some recognition as she launched her first home run of the season.
They weren't the only ones working in the home run department: Havana lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. That's the most home runs they've posted since back in March.
Meanwhile, while Beardstown put up plenty of runs on Thursday, the same can't be said for Routt Catholic. The Tigers were the clear victors by a 15-0 margin over the Rockets. The result was nothing new for the Tigers, who have now won 11 games by six runs or more so far this season.
Shelby Goodrich was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. Goodrich was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Vanessa Nu?ez was incredible, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with four stolen bases, four runs, and one double. Those four stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Kylynn Maltby was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI.
Beardstown has been performing well recently as they've won 11 of their last 14 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-9 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.6 runs on average over those games. As for Havana, their win was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 20-3-1.
Both Havana and Beardstown just can't seem to miss. The Ducks have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.8 hits per game. However, it's not like Beardstown struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.8 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Havana came out on top in a nail-biter against Beardstown in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, sneaking past 6-5. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Ducks since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
