The Newman Central Catholic Comets will head out to square off against the Marquette Crusaders at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.
On Thursday, Newman Central Catholic didn't have quite enough to beat Warren/Stockton and fell 6-5.
Gianna Vance spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and five unearned) runs on seven hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Grace Woodward was cooking despite her team's loss, going 1-for-3 with one home run. The team also got some help courtesy of Lucy Oetting, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, Marquette posted their closest victory since April 15th on Thursday. They won by a run and slipped past Bloomington Central Catholic 5-4. The Crusaders haven't had any issues with the Saints recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.
Kinley Rick made a big impact no matter where she played. She tossed seven innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. Rick was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Kelsey Cuchra was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Hunter Hopkins was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base.
Marquette's record now sits at 22-7. As for Newman Central Catholic, their loss dropped their record down to 10-17.
Newman Central Catholic might still be hurting after the 15-1 defeat they got from Marquette when the teams last played back in May of 2025. Can the Comets avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
