The New London-Winfield-Mt. Union Tigers (1-12, 0-6) look to avenge an early-season loss as their Southeast Iowa Super Conference South Division rivals, the West Burlington Notre Dame Falcons (8-5, 4-2) make the return trip to New London.

Both teams have been cold coming into a Friday, with the Falcons losing four of their last six, their most recent game being an 8-2 victory at Lone Tree,  while the Tigers are on an 11-game losing streak, most recently a 1-0 loss to Mediapolis. Both teams are playing their second nights of back-to-back games.

The Tigers’ current skid began when the teams last collided in West Burlington earlier this season as the Falcons soared to a 10-3 victory on May 29.

Senior Morgan Jones leads the way offensively for New London, boasting a .318 batting average and a .423 on base percentage on seven hits, four walks and seven runs scored.

A youth movement is underway in the pitching circle for the Tigers, where they’re led by eighth grader Kylea Schwenker. Schwenker has rung up 47 strikeouts through 43 innings of work while surrendering just 24 walks, but hits have been a problem for the young ace, as she’s allowed 51 of them, leading to a 1.74 WHIP and a 6.19 ERA.

A balanced Falcon attack is headlined by senior Madalynn Knapp, who has hit three home runs on her way to a .611 slugging percentage and a .400 OBP.

Notre Dame features a duo of pitchers, Madelyn Thomas and Orayana Gonzalez each of whom have each appeared in nine of the Falcons’ 12 games. Opponents average a .281 batting average against the duo, while they have combined for a 4.14 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP.

The Falcons have dominated the series in recent years, winning the last 10 games stretching back to 2020. They lead the series overall since 2009 29-13.

You can catch this special edition of the KCII Area Game of the Week on 106.1 FM and streaming on KCIIradio.com and the KCII1 app, starting with the Area Game of the Week Pregame Show at 6:30 p.m. First pitch will be live from New London at 7.