Softball Game Preview: Lutheran Crusaders vs. Oregon Hawks

The Lutheran Crusaders will head out to take on the Oregon Hawks at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Lutheran has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the matchup with nine straight defeats, while Oregon will come in with five straight wins.

Lutheran fell victim to Stillman Valley and their airtight pitching crew on Monday. They came up short against the Cardinals, falling 16-0.

Meanwhile, while Oregon put up plenty of runs on Monday, the same can't be said for Byron. The Hawks were the clear victors by a 16-0 margin over the Tigers. The Hawks might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten games by six runs or more this season.

Oregon got a massive performance out of Olivia Ortega, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three doubles, three RBI, and two runs. Those three hits gave Ortega a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Ella Dannhorn, who went 1-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base.

They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Oregon kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in five consecutive contests.

Oregon pushed their record up to 12-4 with the victory, which was their sixth straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Lutheran, their loss dropped their record down to 0-8.

Lutheran suffered a grim 18-4 defeat to Oregon when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can the Crusaders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.