The Kirtland Hornets will face off against the Lutheran West Longhorns at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Kirtland will be strutting in after a victory while Lutheran West will be coming in after a defeat.
Kirtland's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Beachwood as they made off with an 11-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Hornets, who have now won five matchups by ten runs or more so far this season.
Gracie Svigel tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over five innings pitched.
Grace Mastrangelo
| 04/29/25 @ Beachwood | 4 |
| 04/24/25 vs Beachwood | 2 |
| 04/21/25 vs Bedford | 2 |
| 04/01/25 vs Harding | 2 |
| 03/29/25 vs Lakeside | 2 |
On the hitting side, Kirtland got a massive performance out of Grace Mastrangelo, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Those four hits gave Mastrangelo a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Maggie Kothera, who went 3-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Kirtland always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .515. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Beachwood only posted an OBP of .263.
Meanwhile, Lutheran West unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Wednesday. They lost 17-1 to Brookside.
Emerson 'Emmy' Hayes made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went a perfect 1-for-1 with two stolen bases and one run. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times she's played.
Lutheran West's loss dropped their record down to 8-5. As for Kirtland, their victory ended a 16-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 6-9.
Friday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Kirtland hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .318. However, it's not like Lutheran West struggles in that department as they've averaged .424. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Kirtland's way against Lutheran West when the teams last played back in April of 2023, as Kirtland made off with a 13-2 win. Do the Hornets have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Longhorns turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
