Holy Cross has gone a perfect 10-0 against Lakeland recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Saturday. The Crusaders will venture away from home to take on the Chiefs at 2:00 p.m. Holy Cross is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.5 runs per game this season.
Lakeland will square off against a team with plenty of momentum: Holy Cross extended their winning streak to three on Tuesday. The Crusaders blew past Dunmore 6-0. The result was nothing new for the Crusaders, who have now won nine matchups by six runs or more so far this season.
AVA SCHMIDT
| 04/04/25 vs Riverside | 4 |
| 04/11/25 @ Scranton | 6 |
| 04/21/25 @ Old Forge | 6 |
| 03/25/25 vs Lackawanna Trail | 8 |
| 04/09/25 vs Western Wayne | 8 |
Not much got past AVA SCHMIDT, who gave up just three hits and racked up 15 Ks to keep Dunmore off the board. Those 15 strikeouts set a new season-high mark for SCHMIDT.
At the plate, MIA GALELLA was incredible, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one triple. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games she's played. MEGAN HASSAJ was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
Holy Cross was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .324 or higher in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Lakeland didn't have quite enough to beat Western Wayne on Tuesday and fell 7-5.
Olivia Lach was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. She pitched six innings while giving up three earned (and four unearned) runs off eight hits. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-low in walks (zero). She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one run and one double.
In other batting news, Mick Eremo made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and got on base in three of her four plate appearances with four stolen bases and two runs.
Holy Cross pushed their record up to 10-1 with the victory, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Lakeland, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost four of their last five contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 5-7 record this season.
Lakeland's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Holy Cross has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 11.1 hits per game. It's a different story for Lakeland, though, as they've been averaging 9.2 hits. Given Holy Cross' sizable advantage in that area, the Chiefs will need to find a way to close that gap.
Holy Cross took their victory against Lakeland in their previous matchup on April 2nd by a conclusive 8-2 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Crusaders since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
