The Shrine Catholic Knights will head out to face off against the Lutheran Northwest Crusaders at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Thursday, Shrine Catholic got the win against Our Lady of the Lakes by a conclusive 16-4. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Knights.
Samantha Swaneck was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She struck out 11 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off two hits. Swaneck was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in five of her six plate appearances with three RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Elizabeth Beaudoin, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. Ella Hurley also deserves some recognition as she got her first hit of the season.
Shrine Catholic was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .387. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .312 or higher in five consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Lutheran Northwest never let their opponents score on Friday. They were the clear victors by a 15-0 margin over Parkway Christian. Winning may never get old, but the Crusaders sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.
Lutheran Northwest got a massive performance out of Grace Fink, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI. Those two doubles gave Fink a new career-high. Alyssa Parets was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases and three runs.
Shrine Catholic's record is now 8-2. As for Lutheran Northwest, their record now sits at 9-5.
Lutheran Northwest's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Saturday. Shrine Catholic has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.7 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Lutheran Northwest, though, as they've been averaging only 3.4 strikeouts. Will Shrine Catholic keep running through batters, or will the Crusaders buck the trend?
Shrine Catholic was able to grind out a solid victory over Lutheran Northwest in their previous matchup back in June of 2024, winning 11-8. Do the Knights have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Crusaders turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
