Penn is on an 11-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Crown Point is on a five-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Kingsmen will host the Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Penn 3.2, Crown Point 1.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
While Penn's victory against Elkhart wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Kingsmen had just enough and edged out the Lions 2-1. The win continues a trend for the Kingsmen in their matchups with the Lions: they've now won eight in a row.
Penn got a great performance from Caitlyn Denny as she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over six innings pitched. Denny has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Penn's victory was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Ashlyn Kronewitter, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI. Charlie Swiger also deserves some recognition as she scored her first run of the season.
Meanwhile, Crown Point got themselves on the board against Chesterton on Wednesday, but Chesterton never followed suit. They put the hurt on the Trojans with a sharp 10-0 win. The Bulldogs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 13 contests by eight runs or more this season.
The result came thanks to Paige Liezert's shutout, as she gave up just two hits and racked up 12 Ks.
At the plate, Corrine Peart was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in May of 2024. Another player making a difference was Lexi Smith, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one double.
Crown Point kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in eight consecutive matchups.
Crown Point has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-2 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.9 runs over those games. As for Penn, their win bumped their record up to 15-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Penn has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Crown Point struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 10.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Penn came up short against Crown Point in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, falling 7-2. Will the Kingsmen have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
