Lakeland is 0-10 against Holy Cross since May of 2021 but things could change on Saturday. The Chiefs will host the Crusaders at 2:00 p.m. The last four games Lakeland has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Lakeland blew Western Wayne out of the water the last time the pair played, but on Tuesday Western Wayne got their revenge. The Chiefs fell just short of the Wildcats by a score of 7-5.
Olivia Lach was huge no matter where she played even without the win. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching six innings while giving up three earned (and four unearned) runs off eight hits. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-low in walks (zero). She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one run and one double.
In other batting news, Mick Eremo was cooking despite her team's loss, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with four stolen bases and two runs.
Meanwhile, Holy Cross waltzed into their game on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Bucks a 6-0 shutout. The Crusaders might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine contests by six runs or more this season.
Not much got past AVA SCHMIDT, who gave up just three hits and racked up 15 Ks to keep Dunmore off the board. Those 15 strikeouts set a new season-high mark for SCHMIDT.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on MIA GALELLA, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one triple. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of MEGAN HASSAJ, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
Holy Cross was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .324 or higher in three consecutive matchups.
Holy Cross' victory was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-1. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.1 runs over those games. As for Lakeland, their loss dropped their record down to 5-7.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Saturday. Lakeland hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Holy Cross struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.8 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Lakeland might still be hurting after the 8-2 defeat they got from Holy Cross in their previous matchup on April 2nd. Will the Chiefs have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
