The Marquette Crusaders will challenge the Newman Central Catholic Comets at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Marquette is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.3 runs per game this season.
Marquette was handed a ten-run defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Thursday. They skirted past Bloomington Central Catholic 5-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Crusaders have posted since April 15th.
Kinley Rick made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she tossed seven innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. Rick was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Kelsey Cuchra was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Hunter Hopkins was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Newman Central Catholic didn't have quite enough to beat Warren/Stockton on Thursday and fell 6-5.
Gianna Vance spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and five unearned) runs on seven hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Grace Woodward made the most of her time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with one home run. Another player making a difference was Lucy Oetting, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Marquette's victory bumped their record up to 22-7. As for Newman Central Catholic, their loss dropped their record down to 10-17.
Marquette got the 'W' in their previous meeting back in May of 2025 against Newman Central Catholic by a conclusive 15-1 score. Will the Crusaders repeat their success, or do the Comets have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
