The Elkhart Lions will face off against the Mishawaka Marian Knights at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Elkhart is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Everything went their way against Fort Wayne Northrop on Saturday as they made off with a 17-2 victory. With that win, the Lions brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Anna Knight made a big impact no matter where she played. She tossed six innings while giving up just two earned runs off eight hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. She was even better at the plate, getting on base in all five of her plate appearances with two runs and two RBI. What's more, she posted three hits, the most she's had over her last 11 games.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Bailey Harris-Rogers, who got on base in all five of her plate appearances with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March of 2024. Ava Walker was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base.
Elkhart was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .469. They are 7-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Mishawaka Marian made easy work of Hammond Morton on Saturday and carried off a 9-2 victory. The Knights might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by seven runs or more this season.
Chloe Weber spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on five hits and racked up 11 Ks.
At the plate, Katie Milligan was incredible, going 3-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Dreama Root, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
Mishawaka Marian has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 5-11 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.8 runs over those games. As for Elkhart, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 10-11.
Mishawaka Marian's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Elkhart hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .328. It's a different story for Mishawaka Marian, though, as they've only averaged .210. Will they be able to contain Elkhart's hitters?
Everything went Elkhart's way against Mishawaka Marian in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, as Elkhart made off with an 11-1 win. Will the Lions repeat their success, or do the Knights have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
