The St. Dominic Crusaders will head out to take on the Incarnate Word Academy Red Knights at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. St. Dominic's pitching crew has only allowed 3.4 runs per game this season, so Incarnate Word Academy's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
St. Dominic is headed into the matchup having just suffered their biggest loss since August 30, 2024 on Tuesday. They came up short against Jackson, falling 12-4. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Crusaders, who until this game were averaging 3.35 runs allowed.
St. Dominic saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ana Fleck, who went 2-for-4 with one run.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Incarnate Word Academy). They put the hurt on Ursuline Academy with a sharp 18-6 win on Tuesday. Considering the Red Knights have won six contests by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Incarnate Word Academy also got a great performance from Bella Schwetz as she pitched five innings while giving up just two earned (and four unearned) runs off seven hits.
On the hitting side, Erin Meriwether was incredible, going a perfect 5-for-5 with four runs, five RBI, and one stolen base. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in August. Jillian Abegg was another key player, going 2-for-5 with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
Incarnate Word Academy kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 23 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Incarnate Word Academy pushed their record up to 11-8 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for St. Dominic, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 10-7.
Thursday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. St. Dominic hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .328. However, it's not like Incarnate Word Academy struggles in that department as they've averaged .392. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
St. Dominic took their victory against Incarnate Word Academy when the teams last played back in October of 2024 by a conclusive 13-3 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.
