The St. John Fighting Herald will head out on the road to face off against the Badger Braves at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. St. John has given up an average of 8 runs per game this season, but Wednesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Tuesday just wasn't the day for St. John's offense. They lost 11-0 to Mathews on Tuesday. The defeat continues a trend for the Fighting Herald in their meetings with the Mustangs: they've now lost five in a row.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Badger). They put the hurt on Harding with a sharp 16-3 win on Thursday. The victory continues a trend for the Braves in their matchups with the Skippers: they've now won eight in a row.
Samantha Bradbury was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits (and only one walk). That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in April of 2024. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kyleigh Hall, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Madison Lindus was another key player, going 1-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Badger hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their strikeout total in four consecutive matches.
Badger's win was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 3-4. As for St. John, their loss dropped their record down to 2-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. St. John has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Badger struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
St. John skirted past Badger 11-10 when the teams last played back in April of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Fighting Herald since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
