Softball Game Preview: Lafayette Hornets vs. Santa Fe Raiders

Lafayette hasn't had much luck against Santa Fe recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Lafayette Hornets will be defending their home field for the first time this season when they go up against the Santa Fe Raiders at 7:00 p.m. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.

On Thursday, it was close, but Lafayette sidestepped Taylor County for an 8-7 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Hornets.

Khloe Crotts

Batters Struck Out (Career)

02/20/25 @ Taylor County	5
03/02/24 vs Satellite	4
03/21/24 @ Madison County	2
03/08/24 vs Madison County	2
03/01/24 @ Williston	2

Khloe Crotts spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned (and three unearned) runs on 13 hits. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in strikeouts (five).

On the hitting side, Brooke Lamb was incredible, going 1-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. Clara Knight was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI.

Meanwhile, Santa Fe gave their fans exactly what they wanted out of a home opener on Tuesday. They had just enough and edged out Vanguard 6-4.

Makenna Payne tossed a big game, striking out ten batters over 6.2 innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Maren Hornsby, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Ainslea Kelsoe, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI.

Lafayette suffered a grim 9-0 defeat to Santa Fe when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can Lafayette avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.