The Saxony Lutheran Crusaders will head out on the road to challenge the North County Raiders at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
North County will square off against a team with plenty of momentum: Saxony Lutheran extended their winning streak to three on Wednesday. The Crusaders blew past Jefferson 9-3. The result was nothing new for the Crusaders, who have now won six games by six runs or more so far this season.
The team relied heavily on Ansley Palisch, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. Jenna Unterreiner was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.
Meanwhile, North County got the win against Neelyville on Tuesday by a conclusive 21-5.
Olivia Jaco (Jr) spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned runs on six hits.
At the plate, Ava McClure (So) was incredible, firing off two home runs, eight RBI, and one triple while going 5-for-6. The team also got some help courtesy of Sophie Rackley (So), who went 3-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and one double.
North County lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now launched at least two home runs in three consecutive contests.
Saxony Lutheran's record now sits at 6-4. As for North County, their record is now 6-9.
North County's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Saxony Lutheran has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for North County, though, as they've been averaging only 2.5 strikeouts. Will Saxony Lutheran keep running through batters, or will the Raiders buck the trend?
Everything went Saxony Lutheran's way against North County in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, as Saxony Lutheran made off with an 11-1 victory. 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.
