The Newman Fighting Cardinals will venture away from home to challenge the Marathon Red Raiders at 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday. Newman comes in still looking for their first win of the season.
Newman is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They fell just short of Rib Lake by a score of 12-11 on Friday. Even if the Fighting Cardinals couldn't come away with the victory, the high-scoring effort was a great turnaround for their hitters, which had struggled int the games prior.
Maddy Keene led a balanced group of hitters, going 2-for-5 with five RBI, two doubles, and one run. Lily Shields also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.
Meanwhile, Marathon was not the first on the board on Saturday, but they got there more often. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-3 win over Blair-Taylor. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Red Raiders have posted since April 21st.
Allison Podjaski was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off 11 hits (and not a single walk). Podjaski was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. Those two RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Danica Staus was excellent, going 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Brinly Stencil was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and one run.
Newman's loss dropped their record down to 0-12. As for Marathon, the win got them back to even at 7-7.
Marathon's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Newman hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .319. It's a different story for Marathon, though, as they've only averaged .250. Will they be able to contain Newman's hitters?
Newman came out on top in a nail-biter against Marathon when the teams last played back in May of 2024, sneaking past 8-6. Do the Fighting Cardinals have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Red Raiders turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
