Laurel is on a ten-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Knoch is on a nine-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Spartans will host the Knights at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
On Monday, it was close, but Laurel sidestepped Wilmington for a 2-1 victory. The two-run effort marked the Spartans' lowest-scoring contest of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
| 05/04/26 vs Wilmington | 1 |
| 04/27/26 @ Mohawk Area | 1 |
| 04/23/26 vs Neshannock | 2 |
| 04/22/26 vs Riverside | 1 |
| 04/20/26 @ Shenango | 0 |
Riley Balcom spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on two hits and racked up 13 Ks. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Laurel's win was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Lexi Krol, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one double. Lizzy Pascoe also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, Knoch won against Highlands last Monday with 11 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Tuesday. The Knights had just enough and edged out Deer Lakes 11-9.
Marlee Fraser made a big impact no matter where she played. She struck out eight batters over 3.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits (and not a single walk). That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in March. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, Emersyn Jones and Alena Tekely did most of the damage at the plate: Jones went 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs, while Tekely went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs and two doubles. Those three runs gave Tekely a new career-high. Lizzie Danik was another key player, going 1-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Knoch was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .417. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Deer Lakes only posted a batting average of .200.
Laurel's victory bumped their record up to 13-3. As for Knoch, their win bumped their record up to 14-2.
Laurel's speedy runners might be the difference in Tuesday's matchup. The Spartans have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.9 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Knoch, though, as they've been averaging only 0.9 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Laurel continue to outrun the ball?
Laurel was able to grind out a solid victory over Knoch in their previous meeting back in May of 2025, winning 7-4. Will the Spartans repeat their success, or do the Knights have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
