The St. James Saints will head out to face off against the Belle Plaine Tigers at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Belle Plaine took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on St. James, who comes in off a win.
St. James came out on top against Waseca on Monday thanks in part to the team's impressive five-run fourth inning. The Saints never let the Bluejays get on the board and left with an 8-0 victory. Considering the Saints have won six contests by more than five runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Laney Bowers
| 05/11/26 @ Waseca | 18 |
| 05/07/26 @ Pipestone | 12 |
| 05/04/26 @ Jackson County Central | 12 |
| 05/01/26 @ Luverne | 11 |
| 04/28/26 @ Redwood Valley | 10 |
| + 6 more games |
Laney Bowers made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out 18 over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than ten strikeouts in 11 consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Halle Reid, who went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases and two runs. Those three stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Kaleigh Besel, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Belle Plaine was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They lost 10-1 to St. Peter. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Tigers have suffered against the Saints since April 5, 2019.
Belle Plaine saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Morgan Giles, who went 1-for-2 with one run and one double.
Belle Plaine's defeat dropped their record down to 13-5. As for St. James, their record now sits at an identical 13-5.
St. James skirted past Belle Plaine 2-1 when the teams last played back in May of 2025. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Saints since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
