Niles West hasn't had much luck against Maine West recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Wolves will head out on the road to square off against the Warriors at 4:45 p.m. The last three games Niles West has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
On Tuesday, Niles West needed a bit of extra time to put away Niles North. They skirted past the Vikings 5-4. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last six times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Lexi Kuffel spent all nine innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and two unearned) runs on eight hits and racked up six Ks.
At the plate, Niles West's victory was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Ava Kolbe, who went 2-for-5 with two runs and one RBI. Ava Hester also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Maine West). Everything went their way against Maine East on Tuesday as they made off with a 19-1 win. The result was nothing new for the Warriors, who have now won four games by seven runs or more so far this season.
Maine West let ABIGAYLE GARCIA and KARA LINDENMUTH run wild. GARCIA went 2-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI, while LINDENMUTH got on base in all three of her plate appearances with three stolen bases and two runs. ZOE CARDONA was another key player, earning three runs and three stolen bases.
Maine West kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Maine West's victory was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-1. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.9 runs over those games. As for Niles West, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 6-8 record this season.
Niles West suffered a grim 13-1 defeat to Maine West in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Wolves avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
