The Stevens Point Panthers will square off against the De Pere Redbirds at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. One thing working in Stevens Point's favor is that they have posted at least ten runs in their last three contests.
Stevens Point is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Everything went their way against Wausau East on Thursday as they made off with a 19-3 victory. Considering the Panthers have won four matches by more than six runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Stevens Point got a great performance from Emma Riberich as she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over five innings pitched.
On the hitting side, Audrina Placeway was a standout: she went 3-for-5 with one home run, eight RBI, and two runs. She also hit a triple, marking her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Kaitlyn Klismith, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, two stolen bases, and two runs.
Stevens Point always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .625. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, it was close, but on Saturday De Pere sidestepped Bay Port for a 5-4 win. The victory continues a trend for the Redbirds in their matchups with the Pirates: they've now won five in a row.
Addison Krutz made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out six batters over 6.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits (and not a single walk). Those six strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run and three runs.
Krutz wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Julianne Bradford, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and two RBI. That's the most RBI Bradford has posted since back in May of 2024.
Stevens Point's win bumped their record up to 6-2. As for De Pere, their victory bumped their record up to 6-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Stevens Point has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.6 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like De Pere struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 2.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Stevens Point skirted past De Pere 3-1 in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Redbirds turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
