Prairie du Chien is 8-2 against Richland Center since May of 2017 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Blackhawks will venture away from home to take on the Hornets at 5:00 p.m.
Prairie du Chien is headed into the matchup having just suffered their closest loss since April 30, 2024 on Tuesday. They fell just short of Lancaster by a score of 6-4. The game marked the Blackhawks' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
Claire Kennedy
| 04/15/25 @ Lancaster | 5 |
| 04/14/25 vs La Crosse Central | 5 |
| 04/10/25 vs Platteville | 10 |
| 04/05/25 @ Florence | 10 |
| 04/03/25 @ Barneveld | 8 |
Claire Kennedy put in work no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing six innings while giving up just one earned (and five unearned) runs off five hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 4-for-4.
In other batting news, Camryn Knapp made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 3-for-4 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI. That stolen base marked the first that she snagged this season. Rita Achenbach was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-5.
Meanwhile, Richland Center hadn't done well against River Valley recently (they were 0-9 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. The Hornets' pitcher stepped up to hand the Blackhawks a 5-0 shutout.
Like Prairie du Chien, Richland Center also got a great game from a two-way player: Kyree Fischer. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 16 over seven innings pitched. Fischer was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-2.
Fischer wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Maddie McGlynn, who scored a run while going 2-for-3. Another was Jaycee Gander, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Richland Center's record is now 2-3. As for Prairie du Chien, their defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 7-2.
Richland Center's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Prairie du Chien has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .462. It's a different story for Richland Center, though, as they've only averaged .330. Will they be able to contain Prairie du Chien's hitters?
Prairie du Chien took their victory against Richland Center in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 18-4 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Blackhawks since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
