The Wittenberg-Birnamwood Chargers are taking a road trip to take on the Almond-Bancroft Eagles at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Wittenberg-Birnamwood took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They walked away with a 7-2 victory over Iola-Scandinavia. The win continues a trend for the Chargers in their matchups with the Thunderbirds: they've now won three in a row.
Ella Eichman spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on eight hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
Chloe Hanson
| 05/15/25 vs Iola-Scandinavia | 4 |
| 04/17/25 @ Iola-Scandinavia | 3 |
| 04/04/25 @ Westfield Area | 3 |
| 05/08/25 @ Manawa | 2 |
| 04/15/25 @ Weyauwega-Fremont | 2 |
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Chloe Hanson, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. Those four hits gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Rory Salvesen, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.
Almond-Bancroft never got on the board in their matchup on Monday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Port Edwards on Tuesday. They blew past the Blackhawks 19-1. Considering the Eagles have won 13 contests by more than eight runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Lexi Carlton looked comfortable as she struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and only one walk).
On the hitting side, Almond-Bancroft got a massive performance out of Tia Dernbach, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with three RBI, two runs, and one double. Another player making a difference was Kerstyn Clark, who went 1-for-3 with five RBI and two runs.
Almond-Bancroft is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight games. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.9 runs on average over those games. As for Wittenberg-Birnamwood, their record now sits at 12-9.
Friday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Wittenberg-Birnamwood hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .317. However, it's not like Almond-Bancroft struggles in that department as they've averaged .379. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Wittenberg-Birnamwood might still be hurting after the 15-0 loss they got from Almond-Bancroft in their previous matchup back in May of 2023. Can the Chargers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
