East Lansing is 1-7 against Lansing Catholic since May of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Trojans will be playing in front of their home fans against the Cougars at 4:00 p.m. East Lansing has given up an average of 12.2 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
East Lansing is headed into Thursday's match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fifth straight game on Tuesday. They came up short against Holt, falling 20-4.
Nevaeh Vasquez was cooking despite her team's loss, getting on base in both of her plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run. Another player making a difference was Talia Dunn, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one run and one double.
Meanwhile, Lansing Catholic came tearing into Tuesday's game with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 3.8 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Vikings an 18-0 shutout. The Cougars might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by ten runs or more this season.
Zoey Gruber was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out nine over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in eight consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, Lansing Catholic got a big performance out of Sydney Convey, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double. Austynn Arellano was another key player, going 1-for-2 with three runs, one double, and one RBI.
Lansing Catholic hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least five batters in five consecutive matches.
East Lansing's defeat dropped their record down to 1-11. As for Lansing Catholic, their victory bumped their record up to 9-3.
Everything went East Lansing's way against Lansing Catholic in their previous meeting back in April of 2021, as East Lansing made off with a 27-13 win. Will the Trojans repeat their success, or do the Cougars have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
