Western hasn't had much luck against McCutcheon recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Panthers will take on the Mavericks at 7:30 p.m. Western will be strutting in after a win while McCutcheon will be coming in after a loss.
Western is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Harrison 4-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Panthers have posted since May 2nd.
Lucy George spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on nine hits and racked up nine Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 17 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Brynley Erb, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, McCutcheon suffered their closest defeat since May 2nd on Thursday. They fell just short of Westfield by a score of 7-5. The Mavericks have struggled against the Rocks recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive lost matchup.
Mady Jones made the most of her time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 3-for-4 with two RBI and one run. Another player making a difference was Sydney Neumayr, who got on base in two of her four plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
Western is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 11 matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 18-8 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for McCutcheon, their loss dropped their record down to 12-10.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Western has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like McCutcheon struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Western suffered a grim 15-1 defeat to McCutcheon in their previous matchup back in May of 2021. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
