The Mercy McAuley Wolves will square off against the Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy Eagles at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
Mercy McAuley's hitters will try to repeat the strong performance they gave on Thursday, when they got past Notre Dame Academy's usually-dominant pitching crew. The Wolves put the hurt on the Pandas with a sharp 15-4 win.
Sophia Ward
| 04/24/25 @ Notre Dame Academy | 12 |
| 04/11/25 vs Princeton | 8 |
| 03/25/25 vs Reading | 5 |
| 04/23/25 vs Mount Notre Dame | 4 |
| 04/02/25 vs Seton | 4 |
Sophia Ward tossed a big game, striking out 12 batters over five innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits (and not a single walk). Those 12 strikeouts gave her a new career-high.
At the plate, Olivia Olding and Mya Rose did most of the damage at the plate: Olding went 3-for-4 with one home run, two stolen bases, and four RBI, while Rose went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one triple. That's the most hits Rose has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Jayla Walker, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Mercy McAuley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .423. They are 7-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy entered their tilt with Norwood on Thursday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They were the clear victors by a 10-2 margin over the Indians. The Eagles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six matchups by eight runs or more this season.
Kylene Werner made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits (and only one walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Gabi Koehler, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double. Raven Horton was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.
Mercy McAuley pushed their record up to 9-9 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.0 runs over those games. As for Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 7-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Mercy McAuley has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.1 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
