Softball Game Preview: Oregon Hawks vs. Lutheran Crusaders

The Oregon Hawks will square off against the Lutheran Crusaders at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Oregon has five straight wins, Lutheran has nine straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Oregon's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. They were the clear victors by a 16-0 margin over Byron. The result was nothing new for the Hawks, who have now won ten games by six runs or more so far this season.

Olivia Ortega was a standout: she went a perfect 3-for-3 with three doubles, three RBI, and two runs. Those three doubles gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Ella Dannhorn, who went 1-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base.

They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Oregon kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in five consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, Monday just wasn't the day for Lutheran's offense. They lost 16-0 to Stillman Valley on Monday.

Oregon's victory was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-4. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for Lutheran, their loss dropped their record down to 0-8.

Everything went Oregon's way against Lutheran in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, as Oregon made off with an 18-4 victory. Will the Hawks repeat their success, or do the Crusaders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.