The Notre Dame (SO) Knights will square off against the Louisville Royals at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. The timing is sure in Notre Dame (SO)'s favor as the team sits on eight straight wins at home while Louisville has been banged up by four consecutive losses on the road.
Notre Dame (SO) barely beat Sierra Canyon the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Knights' pitcher stepped up to hand the Trailblazers a 10-0 shutout on Tuesday. The Knights might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 17 games by six runs or more this season.
Aliyah Garcia was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over six innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs.
In other batting news, Keira Luderer was incredible, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with two RBI, one run, and one double. Kelsey Luderer was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and one run.
Notre Dame (SO) hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in seven consecutive matches.
Louisville couldn't beat Chaminade on Tuesday even though they stacked four runs on them in the fifth inning. The Royals lost 19-6 to the Eagles. Royals fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Eagles since on Tuesday.
Louisville saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Olivia Ortega, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Notre Dame (SO) is on a roll lately: they've won 17 of their last 19 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 21-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Louisville, their loss dropped their record down to 4-12.
Notre Dame (SO)'s speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's game. The Knights have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Louisville, though, as they've been averaging only 1.1 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Notre Dame (SO) continue to outrun the ball?
Notre Dame (SO) took their win against Louisville in their previous meeting back in April by a conclusive 13-3 score. Do the Knights have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Royals turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
