The Northwest Christian Crusaders will head out on the road to take on the Seton Catholic Sentinels at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Northwest Christian is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 12.3 runs per game this season.
Northwest Christian barely beat Payson the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Northwest Christian put the hurt on Payson with a sharp 17-8 win on Thursday. The Crusaders have beaten the Longhorns the last three times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Longhorns has come to flipping the script.
Kinsey Unger
| 03/27/25 @ Payson | 1 |
| 03/25/25 @ Bourgade Catholic | 1 |
| 03/24/25 vs Gilbert Christian | 2 |
| 03/21/25 @ Sabino | 2 |
| 03/19/25 @ ALA - Ironwood | 2 |
| 03/17/25 vs Benjamin Franklin | 3 |
Kinsey Unger was a standout: she scored four runs and stole a base while going 5-for-6. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last six games she's played. Another player making a difference was Caylie Thomas, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 5-for-5.
Northwest Christian was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .522. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Seton Catholic entered their tilt with Globe on Friday with four consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with five. They walked away with an 8-4 victory over the Tigers. While the Sentinels didn't have the best season last year (they finished 4-22), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Brooke Zuluaga was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 17 over seven innings pitched. Those 17 strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Natalia Casillas, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in RBI (two). Alyssa Acosta also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.
Northwest Christian's record is now 8-4. As for Seton Catholic, their record now sits at 7-1-2.
Wednesday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Northwest Christian has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .529. However, it's not like Seton Catholic struggles in that department as they've averaged .474. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
