Nelson will square off against the Central Catholic Rams at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Nelson knows how to get runs on the board -- the squad has finished with ten runs or more in their past four contests -- so hopefully Central Catholic likes a good challenge.
Nelson had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 19-run drubbing they dealt Reynolds on Friday. Nelson's pitcher stepped up to hand Reynolds a 19-0 shutout. Nelson has beaten Reynolds the last seven times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest Reynolds has come to flipping the script.
Kumi Hosaka was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Hosaka was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Alyvia Pietsch was a standout: she got on base in all four of her plate appearances with four runs, one triple, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Alina Chun, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with five RBI, two runs, and one double.
Nelson was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .560. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Central Catholic was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 5-4 heartbreaker at the hands of Sandy.
Lei Lei Turley made the most of her time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs. Ella Schellinkhout also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.
Nelson's win bumped their record up to 9-4. As for Central Catholic, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-9.
Central Catholic's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Nelson has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.6 hits per game. It's a different story for Central Catholic, though, as they've been averaging 11.2 hits. Given Nelson's sizable advantage in that area, Central Catholic will need to find a way to close that gap.
Nelson couldn't quite get it done against Central Catholic in their previous matchup back in May of 2025 as they fell 8-4. Can Nelson avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
