The Lumen Christi Catholic Titans will square off against the Central Catholic Fighting Irish at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Lumen Christi Catholic comes in on nine and Central Catholic on eight.
While Lumen Christi Catholic's victory against Napoleon wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Titans narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past the Pirates 4-2.
Ollie Powers made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and one double.
Alison Furnas
| 05/14/25 vs Napoleon | 2 |
| 05/14/25 vs Napoleon | 1 |
| 05/10/25 @ Springport | 1 |
| 05/10/25 vs Athens | 1 |
| 05/08/25 vs Michigan Center | 1 |
Powers wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Alison Furnas, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases. Those two stolen bases gave Furnas a new career-high.
Meanwhile, it's playoff time, and Central Catholic had no trouble coming through when it counted. They blew past Waite 19-1 on Thursday. Considering the Fighting Irish have won ten games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Lumen Christi Catholic, Central Catholic also got a great game from a two-way player: Ella Schuberg. Throwing, Schuberg struck out 12 batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and only one walk). Meanwhile, Maeley Bragg pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. At the plate, Schuberg went 3-for-4 with two doubles, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Bragg went 2-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Central Catholic got a massive performance out of Addison Brinkman, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with six stolen bases, four runs, and two doubles. The team also got some help courtesy of Mackenzie Coleman, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with four runs, two triples, and one stolen base.
Central Catholic was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .690. They are a perfect 12-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Central Catholic's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 16-9. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.7 runs over those games. As for Lumen Christi Catholic, their victory bumped their record up to 22-7.
Friday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Lumen Christi Catholic hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .314. However, it's not like Central Catholic struggles in that department as they've averaged .355. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Lumen Christi Catholic's way against Central Catholic in their previous meeting back in April, as Lumen Christi Catholic made off with a 12-1 win. Do the Titans have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Fighting Irish turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
