St. Anne hasn't had much luck against Clifton Central recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Cardinals will challenge the Comets at 4:30 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Having struggled with five losses in a row, St. Anne turned things around against Illinois Lutheran on Monday. They put the hurt on the Chargers with a sharp 11-1 win. The Cardinals' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Tessa DeYoung made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 12 over six innings pitched. DeYoung was also big at the plate, earning three runs and three stolen bases. Those three stolen bases gave her a new career-high.
Leah Lobaugh
| 05/11/26 vs Illinois Lutheran | 2 |
| 05/07/26 @ Illinois Lutheran | 1 |
| 05/04/26 @ Grant Park | 1 |
| 04/14/26 @ Donovan | 1 |
In other batting news, St. Anne let Leah Lobaugh and Addison Rafalski run wild. Lobaugh got on base in two of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs, while Rafalski got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double. Those two runs gave Lobaugh a new career-high. Miamora Saldivar also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.
Clifton Central came out on top against Momence on Thursday thanks in part to the team's impressive six-run seventh inning. The Comets took their game against the Momence Athletics 8-3.
Mallory Stewart spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on nine hits.
At the plate, Chloe Cotter and Rayven Perkins did most of the damage at the plate: Cotter got on base in three of her five plate appearances with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI, while Perkins got on base in four of her five plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Bella Kempen, who went 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
St. Anne's victory was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-11 and their overall record up to 2-14. As for Clifton Central, their record is now 7-15.
St. Anne suffered a grim 11-1 defeat to Clifton Central in their previous matchup back in April of 2025. Can the Cardinals avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
