The South Bend Saint Joseph Huskies will face off against the Northridge Raiders at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. South Bend Saint Joseph will come into the game with an undefeated record on the line.
On Thursday, South Bend Saint Joseph needed a bit of extra time to put away Mishawaka Marian. They had just enough and edged out the Knights 5-3. The five-run effort marked the Huskies' lowest-scoring match of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Josh Dolniak looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April of 2024.
At the plate, South Bend Saint Joseph got a massive performance out of Brady Langager, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Joe Washburn, who went 3-for-5 with three stolen bases and one run.
Meanwhile, Northridge fell victim to NorthWood and their airtight pitching crew on Wednesday. They took a 4-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Panthers. Raiders fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Panthers since on Wednesday.
Northridge also got a good showing from Colt Bollinger, who pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Those zero hits allowed gave Bollinger a new career-low.
On the hitting side, Northridge saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Preston Ryan, who went 1-for-2 with one double. That double was Ryan's first of the season.
South Bend Saint Joseph's victory was their eighth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-0. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Northridge, their loss dropped their record down to 4-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. South Bend Saint Joseph has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Northridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
South Bend Saint Joseph took their victory against Northridge when the teams last played back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 17-6 score. Do the Huskies have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Raiders turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
