On Friday, Wilsonville Softball will face off against Putnam for the third time this season. And this time around, the stakes are the highest they’ve ever been. Putnam beat Wilsonville in their first two matches, sweeping them in the regular season. However, this is the postseason. It’s win or go home, and the Wildcats are determined that they can reverse their fortunes.

It’s hard to beat a team three times in one season, losing gives you important feedback you don’t get from a win. You know what to change for the next time around. Wilsonville knows Putnam, and Putnam knows Wilsonville. What sets them apart is that Wilsonville’s weaknesses have been exposed so they know how to cover for them. The Wildcats are very well prepared for this game, and they’re hoping their preparation gives them the upper hand on Friday.

Junior first baseman Talia Valdez feels both “excited and nervous” for Friday’s game.  She told us that “we’re playing for revenge, and we are determined to win for our seniors.” Talia said that she “knows that this time it’ll be different,” and that “the team has confidence going into Friday.” Talia told us that the Wildcats have been hitting their stride and that “everyone played so well last game. We are a strong team and we can definitely beat [Putnam].”

Junior third baseman Grace Wilson told us that she “needed vengeance” come Friday. Grace emphasized that they “needed to hit well” and doubled down on her previous aggressive statement, saying that the girls were “playing for revenge.” She told us about some of the specific things Wilsonville Softball has done to prepare, saying that “we’ve been practicing hitting,” practicing on a specially tuned machine to simulate Putnam’s pitcher. “We’ve also had team hitting lessons outside of practice because we need to have offensive success” Grace stated. The Wildcats are also determined to have defensive success, focusing on “eliminating fielding errors” according to Grace.

The Wildcats are determined to not let Putnam three-peat against them on Friday. They’re coming into the game with a chip on their shoulder and extra preparation up their sleeve. This game is different, Wilsonville is playing to achieve revenge and avoid elimination. They are confident their season won’t end Friday.