Regular season matchups in early June don’t typically provide all that much buzz, but Wednesday night’s contest between ADM and Carlisle in Adel is without a doubt the biggest game of the season for both teams to date.

The Tigers (7-1) lead the Raccoon River Conference with a 5-0 mark in league play, a half-game ahead of Carlisle, which is 11-1 overall and leads the conference in nearly every major offensive category. The two ranked squads will square off at 7:30 p.m.

A game between to Class 4A titans playing at a high level figures to produce a playoff-like atmosphere, and this group of Tigers is accustomed to playing on a big stage. ADM came up just one game short of a state tournament appearance last season, when they lost to eventual state champion Clarke in a regional final.

Senior shortstop Kenzi Sutton said that fuels her and her teammates every day.

“Well I think that loss will always be stuck in the back of our heads, so I think that’s gonna help us push to work harder,” said senior shortstop Kenzi Sutton. “But now that we’ve been in that situation before, I think we’re going to be ready to handle it this year.”

And handled it they have. ADM’s lone loss of the season came to No. 5 Winterset at the Huskies’ home tournament on May 30, and the Tigers exacted revenge Monday night with a 3-2 win over Winterest in Adel.

To shut down Carlisle’s potent offense, the Tigers will turn to junior pitcher Molly Jacobsen, who has posted a dazzling 0.77 ERA in eight starts.