Jersey hasn't had much luck against Waterloo recently, but that could start to change on Wednesday. The Panthers will welcome the Bulldogs at 4:30 p.m. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Jersey sitting on three straight victories and Waterloo on nine.
The scorekeeper got an easy start on Tuesday as neither Jersey nor Granite City made it on the board until the fifth inning. The Panthers blew past the Warriors 10-3.
Paxton Weirich made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 12 over 6.2 innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 17 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That triple marked the first that she has hit this season.
In other batting news, Chloe Beemer was incredible, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. That triple was her first of the season. Marley Cazier was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Jersey kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in three consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Waterloo). They put the hurt on Highland with a sharp 15-1 win on Wednesday. The result was nothing new for Waterloo, who have now won seven contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Aidan Dintelman made a splash no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over seven innings pitched. Dintelman was also big at the plate, firing off two home runs and five RBI while going 3-for-5. Those three hits gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Sam Juelfs, who fired off two home runs, five RBI, and three runs while going 3-for-5. Those two home runs gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Grayce Mayer, who went 4-for-5 with three runs, two RBI, and one double.
Waterloo's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 15-2. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for Jersey, their victory bumped their record up to 8-11-1.
Jersey came up short against Waterloo in their previous matchup back in April, falling 3-0. Will the Panthers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
