Softball Game Preview: Holy Cross Crusaders vs. Waterbury Career Academy Spartans

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Previous Games

04/10/24 - Home	15-0 W
04/21/23 - Away	13-0 W
04/01/23 - Home	17-2 W
04/22/22 - Away	14-2 W
04/02/22 - Away	32-7 W
+ 5 more games

Holy Cross is 9-1 against Waterbury Career Academy since May of 2018 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Monday. The Crusaders will face off against the Spartans at 11:00 a.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.

The home team had won the previous four meetings between Holy Cross and Torrington, and Holy Cross kept the tradition alive. The Crusaders were the clear victors by an 11-2 margin over the Raiders on Friday. The win continues a trend for the Crusaders in their matchups with the Raiders: they've now won four in a row.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Waterbury Career Academy). They blew past Wilby 19-1 on Friday. Considering the Spartans' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.

Janessa Campos was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. Those 12 strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. She also put up a hit, which was her first of the season.

In other batting news, Najla Bush was a standout: she scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances. Bush is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: she's snagged at least one every time she's taken the field this season. Another player making a difference was Jenesys Soto, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.

Waterbury Career Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .800. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

Waterbury Career Academy's first victory this season bumped their record up to 1-4. As for Holy Cross, they now have a winning record of 2-1.

Holy Cross took their win against Waterbury Career Academy in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 15-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Crusaders since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.