Blugolds
| 04/29/26 vs La Crosse Logan | 5 |
| 04/28/26 vs Holmen | 4 |
| 04/21/26 @ Viroqua | 17 |
| 04/10/26 @ Holmen | 3 |
| + 2 more games |
The Aquinas Blugolds will challenge the West Salem Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Aquinas is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.1 runs per game this season.
On Wednesday, Aquinas needed a bit of extra time to put away La Crosse Logan. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Rangers, sneaking past 5-4. The victory continues a trend for the Blugolds in their matchups with the Rangers: they've now won three in a row.
Abby Ziolkowski spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and two unearned) runs on five hits and racked up seven Ks.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Ava Scholze, who went 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. Lauren VonRuden was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, West Salem never let their opponents score on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 7-0 margin over Viroqua. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight contests by six runs or more this season.
Josie Brudos made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 16 over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in 14 consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run and two runs.
In other batting news, Kylie Elsen was excellent, going 1-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. Brenna Pontius also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
West Salem hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least three batters in five consecutive matchups.
West Salem's win bumped their record up to 13-2. As for Aquinas, they now have a winning record of 4-3.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Aquinas hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.6 home runs per game. However, it's not like West Salem struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.9 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Aquinas suffered a grim 16-6 defeat to West Salem in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. Can the Blugolds avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
