The Lakota East Thunderhawks will face off against Mount Notre Dame at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Lakota East sitting on three straight wins and Mount Notre Dame on five.
Lakota East will bounce into Tuesday's contest after beating Fairfield, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Thunderhawks came out on top against the Indians by a score of 6-1 on Monday. The game was the first time the Thunderhawks have beaten the Indians on their field since April 1, 2019.
Kaleigh Crawford
| 05/05/25 @ Fairfield | 3 |
| 04/23/25 vs Princeton | 2 |
| 04/21/25 vs Lakota West | 2 |
| 04/17/25 vs Oak Hills | 2 |
| 04/09/25 vs Middletown | 2 |
Kaleigh Crawford made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing seven innings while giving up just one earned run off six hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and one double. Those three hits gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Abrie Shulte, who went 3-for-4 with one home run and two runs. Haley Thompson was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two runs.
Meanwhile, Mount Notre Dame hadn't done well against Badin recently (they were 0-4 in their previous four matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Monday. Mount Notre Dame blew past Badin 11-3. The result was nothing new for Mount Notre Dame, who have now won six games by six runs or more so far this season.
Like Lakota East, Mount Notre Dame also got a great game from a two-way player: Audrey Gildea. She struck out six batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits. Gildea was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI. That triple was her first of the season.
In other batting news, Kat Zielinski was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three stolen bases, three runs, and one double. Another player making a difference was Grace Pitzer, who went 1-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
Mount Notre Dame always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .526. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Badin only posted an OBP of .310.
Mount Notre Dame pushed their record up to 12-4 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.5 runs over those games. As for Lakota East, their victory bumped their record up to 11-7.
Tuesday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Lakota East hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .335. However, it's not like Mount Notre Dame struggles in that department as they've averaged .361. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Lakota East came out on top in a nail-biter against Mount Notre Dame in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, sneaking past 2-1. Do the Thunderhawks have another victory up their sleeve, or will Mount Notre Dame turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
