The Crown Point Bulldogs will take on the Penn Kingsmen at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Crown Point comes in on eight and Penn on 13.
Crown Point came out on top against Chesterton on Wednesday thanks in part to the team's impressive six-run first inning. The Bulldogs' pitcher stepped up to hand the Trojans a 10-0 shutout. Considering the Bulldogs have won 13 games by more than seven runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
The result came thanks to Paige Liezert's shutout, as she gave up just two hits and racked up 12 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 16 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Crown Point got a massive performance out of Corrine Peart, who went 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That's the most RBI Peart has posted since back in May of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Lexi Smith, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one double.
Crown Point was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .467. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Chesterton only posted a batting average of .100.
Meanwhile, Penn narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Elkhart 2-1.
Penn also got a great performance from Caitlyn Denny as she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over six innings pitched.
On the hitting side, Penn's win was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Ashlyn Kronewitter, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI. Charlie Swiger also deserves some recognition as she scored her first run of the season.
Crown Point pushed their record up to 17-2 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.5 runs on average over those games. As for Penn, their record now sits at 15-2.
Friday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Crown Point hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .399. However, it's not like Penn struggles in that department as they've averaged .354. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Crown Point was able to grind out a solid victory over Penn in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, winning 7-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bulldogs since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
