Softball Game Preview: Northstar Christian Academy Knights vs. Aquinas Institute Little Irish

The Northstar Christian Academy Knights will challenge the Aquinas Institute Little Irish at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Aquinas Institute took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Northstar Christian Academy, who comes in off a win.

Northstar Christian Academy is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Everything went their way against Sodus on Tuesday as they made off with an 18-5 win. The result was nothing new for the Knights, who have now won three games by 12 runs or more so far this season.

Meanwhile, Aquinas Institute unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Monday. They fell just short of Eastridge by a score of 5-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Little Irish have suffered since April 29, 2024.

Kendall Buttles was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. She struck out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two runs and two doubles.

Buttles wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Riley Madigan, who went 1-for-3 with one double. That double marked the first that Madigan has hit this season.

Northstar Christian Academy's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 3-2. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Aquinas Institute, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-3.

Northstar Christian Academy suffered a grim 16-0 defeat to Aquinas Institute when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Can the Knights avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.