The Lutheran Northwest Crusaders will challenge the Shrine Catholic Knights at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Lutheran Northwest's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They blew past Parkway Christian 15-0. The victory was familiar territory for the Crusaders, who have now won three contests in a row.
Lutheran Northwest got a massive performance out of Grace Fink, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI. Those two doubles gave Fink a new career-high. Alyssa Parets was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases and three runs.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Lutheran Northwest kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 13 hits in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Shrine Catholic made easy work of Our Lady of the Lakes on Thursday and carried off a 16-4 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Knights.
Samantha Swaneck made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off two hits. Swaneck was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in five of her six plate appearances with three RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Elizabeth Beaudoin was incredible, going 3-for-4 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. Another player making a difference was Marguerite Bunek, who got on base in three of her five plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base.
Lutheran Northwest's victory bumped their record up to 9-5. As for Shrine Catholic, their win bumped their record up to 8-2.
Saturday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Lutheran Northwest hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .420. However, it's not like Shrine Catholic struggles in that department as they've averaged .380. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Lutheran Northwest came up short against Shrine Catholic when the teams last played back in June of 2024, falling 11-8. Can the Crusaders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
