The Holy Cross Crusaders will head out to face off against the Hazleton Area Cougars at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Holy Cross has six straight victories, Hazleton Area has seven straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Holy Cross' pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Old Forge with a sharp 15-0 win. The Crusaders might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 contests by six runs or more this season.
AVA SCHMIDT made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
MIA GALELLA
| 04/30/25 vs Old Forge | 4 |
| 04/28/25 @ Riverside | 3 |
| 04/11/25 @ Scranton | 2 |
| 04/09/25 vs Western Wayne | 2 |
| 04/21/25 @ Old Forge | 1 |
In other batting news, Holy Cross let MIA GALELLA and JULES GALELLA run wild. MIA went 1-for-2 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs, while JULES went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those four RBI gave MIA a new career-high. Another player making a difference was PEYTON GRABOSKE, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBI.
Holy Cross was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .625. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in four consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Wednesday just wasn't the day for Hazleton Area's offense. They came up short against Tunkhannock on Wednesday, falling 15-0.
Holy Cross' victory was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 13-1. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.6 runs over those games. As for Hazleton Area, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-8.
Hazleton Area's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Holy Cross has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 11.4 hits per game. It's a different story for Hazleton Area, though, as they've been averaging 12.8 hits. Given Holy Cross' sizable advantage in that area, the Cougars will need to find a way to close that gap. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
