Jersey is 1-9 against Highland since April of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. The Jersey Panthers will head out on the road to square off against the Highland Bulldogs at 4:30 p.m. Both teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Jersey was handed a two-point loss in their last game, but they sure didn't let that happen against Civic Memorial on Monday. Jersey never let Civic Memorial onto the board and left with a 6-0 win. Considering Jersey has won five contests by more than five runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
The team relied heavily on Anna Kribs, who scored a run while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Ava Pegram, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, in what's become a running theme this season, Highland gave their fans yet another huge victory on Monday. They were the clear victor by an 8-1 margin over Mascoutah. The win was just what Highland needed coming off of a 10-0 defeat in their prior matchup.
Kaitlyn Wilson spent all seven innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on five hits and racked up 11 Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Highland got a massive performance out of Abby Schultz, who went 1-for-3 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI. Hailey Ritz was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while going 2-for-3.
Jersey has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matches, which provided a nice bump to their 5-4 record this season. As for Highland, the victory got them back to even at 5-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Jersey has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Highland struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.1. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Jersey came out on top in a nail-biter against Highland in their previous meeting back in May of 2023, sneaking past 1-0. Will Jersey repeat their success, or does Highland have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
