Bishop Kelly has gone 8-2 against Middleton recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Knights will challenge the Vikings at 5:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Bishop Kelly is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Idaho's top teams: Vallivue, who was ranked 16th at the time (Bishop Kelly was ranked 13th). The Knights put the hurt on the Falcons with a sharp 16-1 win on Monday. Surprisingly, this marked the Knights' third straight game in which the away team has come away the victor.
Lauren Fettic
| 05/05/25 @ Vallivue | 9 |
| 05/03/25 vs Caldwell | 12 |
| 04/29/25 vs Nampa | 6 |
| 04/25/25 @ Skyview | 9 |
| 04/24/25 vs Emmett | 9 |
| + 9 more games |
Lauren Fettic made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out nine batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 14 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and one double. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, Bishop Kelly let Kingsley Shea and Jaynie Burke run wild. Shea went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI, while Burke went 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one double. That's the most RBI Burke has posted since back in April. Josie Cunningham was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one triple.
Bishop Kelly always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .579. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Vallivue only posted an OBP of .300.
Meanwhile, Middleton entered their tilt with Skyview on Monday with seven consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with eight. They were the clear victors by a 10-3 margin over the Hawks.
Libby Garcia spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on five hits and racked up 11 Ks.
At the plate, Natalie Miklancic and Rylee Rodriguez did most of the damage at the plate: Miklancic went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run, while Rodriguez got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs and one triple. That triple marked the first that Rodriguez has hit this season. Another player making a difference was Sadie Stafford, who went 2-for-5 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Middleton pushed their record up to 22-3 with the victory, which was their 14th straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Bishop Kelly, they have been performing well recently as they've won eight of their last ten games. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-5 record this season.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Bishop Kelly hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 1.1 home runs per game. However, it's not like Middleton struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 1.4 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Bishop Kelly beat Middleton 6-1 in their previous meeting back in April. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Knights since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
