The Pulaski Red Raiders will face off against the De Pere Redbirds at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Pulaski 3.8, De Pere 3.2) so any runs scored will be well earned.
While Pulaski's victory against Manitowoc Lincoln wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Red Raiders sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-1 win over the Ships on Monday. The Red Raiders haven't had any issues with the Ships recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Kamrie Dorn spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on one hit and racked up 15 Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Kianna Altendorf, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
Meanwhile, De Pere had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10 runs) and they went ahead and made it six on Monday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Golden Raiders a 10-0 shutout. The Redbirds might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven games by eight runs or more this season.
Addison Krutz made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than one walk in 11 consecutive appearances. She was even better at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one triple. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in April.
In other pitching news, Reese Falish looked comfortable as she struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, Jaelyn Craig was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and one double. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high. Cadence Brennan was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
De Pere 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 eight hits in six consecutive matchups.
De Pere pushed their record up to 12-4 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Pulaski, their win bumped their record up to 7-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Pulaski has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like De Pere struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
