The Washburn Cardinals will challenge the Grand Forks Central Knights at 3:00 p.m. on Friday. Washburn is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.3 runs per game this season.
Washburn's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. Everything went their way against Max as they made off with a 12-0 win. Winning may never get old, but the Cardinals sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.
| 05/05/25 vs Max | 13 |
| 04/26/25 vs Hazen | 9 |
| 04/22/25 vs Nedrose | 15 |
| 04/21/25 vs Beulah | 10 |
| 04/08/25 vs Garrison | 12 |
Kya Kulzer made a big impact no matter where she played. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 13 over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than nine strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-5 with four RBI and two doubles.
In other batting news, Brooklyn Hetletved and Bre Laning did most of the damage at the plate: Hetletved went 3-for-4 with three RBI, one triple, and one run, while Laning went 3-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Hetletved also hit a double, marking her first of the season. Kylee Fiedler was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Grand Forks Central fell victim to Sheyenne and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They came up short against the Mustangs, falling 10-0. Having soared to a lofty 11 runs in the game before, the Knights' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Grand Forks Central saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kharleigh Larson, who went 1-for-3 with one double.
Washburn's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 4-2. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs over those games. As for Grand Forks Central, their loss dropped their record down to 1-11.
Grand Forks Central's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Washburn has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.2 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Grand Forks Central, though, as they've been averaging only 2.7 strikeouts. Will Washburn keep running through batters, or will the Knights buck the trend? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
