Softball Game Preview: Winnebago Indians vs. Lutheran Crusaders

Winnebago is on a four-game streak of home losses, and Lutheran a 20-game streak of away losses dating back to last season. However, someone's due for a change in luck on Wednesday. The Winnebago Indians will welcome the Lutheran Crusaders at 4:30 p.m. Winnebago is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.6 runs per game this season.

On Tuesday, Winnebago needed a bit of extra time to put away Oregon. They skirted past the Hawks 10-9. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Indians considering their two-run performance the matchup before.

Vanessa Warkentien

Runs Batted In (Career)

04/29/25 @ Oregon	4
04/26/25 @ Rockford Auburn	2
04/21/25 @ Genoa-Kingston	2
04/15/25 @ Byron	2
04/14/25 vs North Boone	2

The team relied heavily on Vanessa Warkentien, who went 3-for-5 with four RBI, one triple, and one run. Those four RBI gave her a new career-high.

Warkentien wasn't the only one making solid contact: Winnebago kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. The Indians are a perfect 5-0 when they post 11 or more hits.

Meanwhile, Lutheran fell victim to Byron and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They lost 10-0 to the Tigers.

Winnebago's win bumped their record up to 9-11. As for Lutheran, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-14.

Winnebago took their victory against Lutheran in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 10-0 score. Will the Indians repeat their success, or do the Crusaders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.