The Sigourney Savages (10-5, 10-0) softball team looks to stay undefeated in South Iowa Cedar League play on Wednesday night as they travel to take on the English Valleys Bears (3-9, 3-6) in the KCII Area Game of the Week on KCII3.

The game is a rematch of opening day, when the Savages beat the Bears in Sigourney 5-3 on the back of a Josie Moore grand slam.

Moore has been Sigourney’s best player on both sides of the ball, powering the offense with a .485/.561/1.030 slash line on 16 hits, five home runs, and 19 RBIs while dominating in the circle, tossing her way to a 9-2 record with a 1.43 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP in 68.2 innings of work.

Freshman Devyn Smallwood has supplemented Moore at the plate, providing 2 home runs and 16 RBIs on a .382 average. Head coach Shelly Streigle described Smallwood’s growth at the plate, “She doesn’t get on base all the time, and I know she gets very frustrated with that, but when she hits the ball she hits it hard. She is a good hitter that’s just going to keep developing, she’s only a freshman and she just keeps getting better and better all the time.”

A young team behind the senior Moore has had growing pains, though, especially out of conference. 24 unearned runs have accounted for nearly half of the scoring the Savages have allowed this season and two thirds of the runs surrendered by Moore. Sigourney has three seniors on its roster, but no juniors and just two sophomores, forcing freshmen and eighth graders to step up around the diamond.

English Valleys is led at the plate by senior Taylor Mikesell, who is hitting .633 on the season with 19 hits, 17 RBIs and 11 runs.

Freshman Kaylynn Caster has been the Bears’ ace, throwing 59.2 of English Valleys’ 65.1 innings, but she’s been knocked around by opponents, surrendering 60 earned runs on a .303 opponent batting average.

Sigourney hasn’t lost in its last 26 matchups with English Valleys, a streak that dates back to July of 2011.

You can catch this edition of the KCII Area Game of the Week on the new KCII3 app and the KCII3 stream on KCIIradio.com. Coverage will begin at 4:30 p.m. with the Area Game of the Week Pregame show. First pitch is scheduled for 5 live from North English.