The Holy Cross Crusaders will challenge the Old Forge Blue Devils at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Holy Cross is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victors by a 16-1 margin over Lakeland on Tuesday. Winning may never get old, but the Crusaders sure are getting used to it with their fifth in a row.
AVA SCHMIDT made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with one home run.
CLAIRE HELRING
| 04/29/25 @ Lakeland | 4 |
| 04/21/25 @ Old Forge | 2 |
| 04/28/25 @ Riverside | 1 |
| 04/22/25 vs Dunmore | 1 |
| 04/16/25 @ Honesdale | 1 |
In other batting news, CLAIRE HELRING was incredible, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Those four RBI gave her a new career-high. GRACE ROGERS was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI.
Holy Cross was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .520. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .324 or higher in five consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Old Forge, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They blew past Western Wayne 12-6 on Monday. The high-scoring effort was just what the Blue Devils needed considering they were shut out in their previous match.
Like Holy Cross, Old Forge also got a great game from a two-way player: Kamryn Notari. She pitched seven innings while giving up five earned (and one unearned) runs off ten hits. Notari was even better at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.
In other batting news, Kate O'Hearn and Lilianna Lenceski did most of the damage at the plate: O'Hearn went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs, while Lenceski went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases and three runs. That home run marked the first that O'Hearn has launched this season. Another player making a difference was Ava Arnold, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Holy Cross pushed their record up to 12-1 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.8 runs over those games. As for Old Forge, their win bumped their record up to 6-7.
Old Forge's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Wednesday. Holy Cross has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Old Forge, though, as they've been averaging only 3.2 strikeouts. Will Holy Cross keep running through batters, or will the Blue Devils buck the trend?
Holy Cross beat Old Forge 8-4 in their previous matchup last Monday. Do the Crusaders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Blue Devils turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
