Softball Game Preview: Knoxville Catholic Fighting Irish vs. Oak Ridge Wildcats

The Knoxville Catholic Fighting Irish are taking a road trip to take on the Oak Ridge Wildcats at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Knoxville Catholic is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.9 runs per game this season.

On Friday, Knoxville Catholic made easy work of First Baptist Academy and carried off a 10-4 victory. The win continues a trend for the Fighting Irish in their matchups with the Eagles: they've now won four in a row.

Knoxville Catholic let Claudia Schaad and Emily Lemaster run wild. Schaad scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-3, while Lemaster went 2-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run. That triple marked the first that Lemaster hit this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Catherine Schaad, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.

Meanwhile, Oak Ridge was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat. They fell 5-0 to West.

Knoxville Catholic's victory bumped their record up to 8-6. As for Oak Ridge, their loss dropped their record down to 3-9.

Oak Ridge's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Monday. Knoxville Catholic has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Oak Ridge, though, as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.5 strikeouts. Will Knoxville Catholic keep running through batters, or will Oak Ridge buck the trend?

Knoxville Catholic beat Oak Ridge 4-0 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for Knoxville Catholic since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.