The Madonna Blue Dons will head out on the road to challenge the Catholic Central Crusaders at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Madonna is coming into the game hot, having won their last 11 games.
Madonna barely beat Cameron the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Blue Dons put the hurt on the Dragons with a sharp 9-2 victory on Wednesday. Considering the Blue Dons have won seven matches by more than six runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Kendall Ryan spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on five hits.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Madi Owens, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with four RBI, two runs, and two doubles. Those two doubles gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Chloe Orecchio, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Catholic Central came up short against Wellsville on Tuesday and fell 13-8. The Crusaders have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Genna Free made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole three bases while going 3-for-4. Free is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: she's snagged at least one every time she's taken the field this season. Maddie McEndree was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Madonna's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-1. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.4 runs over those games. As for Catholic Central, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-5.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Madonna hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .366. However, it's not like Catholic Central struggles in that department as they've averaged .321. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Madonna's way against Catholic Central when the teams last played back in March, as Madonna made off with an 18-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Blue Dons since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
