Howell is 1-9 against Hartland since May of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. The Highlanders will host the Eagles at 4:00 p.m. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Howell sitting on eight straight victories and Hartland on three.
Howell's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Saturday. They blew past Dow 7-0. The result was nothing new for the Highlanders, who have now won 12 contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Not much got past Allison Ulanowski, who gave up just five hits to keep Dow off the board. Ulanowski has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Addison Caldwell was excellent, going 1-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Sophia May, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Howell kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They are 13-1-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Hartland). They were the clear victors by a 15-3 margin over Fenton on Tuesday. Hartland's win was all the more impressive since the Tigers were averaging only 2.69 runs allowed on the season.
Alayna Gardner and Reese Dunny did most of the damage at the plate: Gardner went a perfect 3-for-3 with four runs and two RBI, while Dunny went 1-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one stolen base. Those four runs gave Gardner a new career-high. Skylar Spisz was another key player, going 1-for-4 with four runs and one RBI.
Howell's victory bumped their record up to 20-11-1. As for Hartland, their win bumped their record up to 9-5-1.
Wednesday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Howell hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .367. However, it's not like Hartland struggles in that department as they've averaged .341. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Howell couldn't quite finish off Hartland in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 and fell 8-6. Will the Highlanders have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
