Holyoke hasn't had much luck against Ludlow recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Purple Knights are taking a road trip to square off against the Lions at 5:00 p.m. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Holyoke is headed into Friday's match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Thursday. They lost 10-1 to Palmer.
Holyoke saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Samantha Rodriguez, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one double. That double marked the first that Rodriguez has hit this season.
Ludlow had taken Chicopee Comp down for two straight games at home, but that winning streak came to an end on Wednesday. The Lions fell 12-7 to the Colts.
Liv Slatton put in work while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-low in earned runs (zero). She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two runs.
In other batting news, Maddie Gonsalves and Eris Learned did some serious damage despite the final result: Gonsalves got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base, while Learned got on base in three of her four plate appearances with four RBI. Another player making a difference was Ava Peczka, who got on base in two of her four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Holyoke's defeat dropped their record down to 4-9. As for Ludlow, their loss was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 4-1 and their overall record down to 6-8.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Holyoke has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 6 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Ludlow struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Holyoke might still be hurting after the 18-5 defeat they got from Ludlow in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Purple Knights avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
