The Cardinal Newman Cardinals will face off against the Windsor Jaguars at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Cardinal Newman comes in on 11 and Windsor on five.
Cardinal Newman's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Rancho Cotate with a sharp 12-0 victory. The Cardinals might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 11 contests by seven runs or more this season.
Callie Howard made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one run.
In other batting news, Jordyn Johnsen was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and three runs. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Andrea Mansbery, who went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run.
Meanwhile, Windsor posted their closest win since April 11th on Tuesday. They had just enough and edged out Maria Carrillo 14-13.
The team relied heavily on Haley Homan, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Alyssa Rivers, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
Windsor kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 11 hits in five consecutive matches.
Cardinal Newman's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-6. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.2 runs on average over those games. As for Windsor, their victory bumped their record up to 18-5.
Thursday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Cardinal Newman has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .439. However, it's not like Windsor struggles in that department as they've averaged .453. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Cardinal Newman took their win against Windsor when the teams last played two weeks ago by a conclusive 8-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cardinals since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
