New Prairie is 9-1 against South Bend Clay since April of 2017, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Wednesday. The New Prairie Cougars have the luxury of staying home for another game and will welcome the South Bend Clay Colonials at 4:30 p.m. New Prairie's pitching crew has only allowed three runs per game this season, so South Bend Clay's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
New Prairie can now show off three landslide victories after their most recent contest on Monday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand South Bend Adams an 11-0 shutout. The victory was just what New Prairie needed coming off of an 11-1 defeat in their prior match.
Ava Geyer was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Geyer has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in five consecutive pitching appearances. Geyer was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kendra Willoughby, who went 1-for-1 with a home run and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Ella Chelminiak, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, neither South Bend Clay nor Elkhart could gain the upper hand on Monday so the two teams had to settle for a 6-6 draw.
Jessica Cleveland spent all nine innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and five unearned) runs on four hits and racked up nine Ks. Those nine innings set a new season-high mark for her.
New Prairie has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 4-2 record this season. As for South Bend Clay, with that draw, their record moves to 3-5-1.
South Bend Clay's pitching crew has a tough task ahead of them: New Prairie has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .447. It's a different story for South Bend Clay, though, as they've only averaged .336. Will they be able to contain New Prairie's hitters?
New Prairie was able to grind out a solid win over South Bend Clay in their previous matchup back in May of 2023, winning 5-1. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was South Bend Clay's Faith Hyduk, who struck out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off eight hits (and only one walk). Now that she won't be playing on Wednesday, will it be that much easier for New Prairie to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
