The Holy Cross Crusaders will face off against the Old Forge Blue Devils at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Holy Cross will be looking to extend their current 12-game winning streak.
Two weeks ago, Holy Cross needed a bit of extra time to put away Mid Valley. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past the Spartans 7-5. The game was the first time the Crusaders have beaten the Spartans on their field since May 2, 2022.
AVA SCHMIDT spent all ten innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned runs on 11 hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive appearances.
PEYTON GRABOSKE
| 05/15/25 @ Mid Valley | 4 |
| 05/07/25 vs Honesdale | 3 |
| 05/02/25 @ Western Wayne | 3 |
| 05/12/25 @ Dunmore | 2 |
| 05/01/25 @ Hazleton Area | 2 |
At the plate, PEYTON GRABOSKE was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those four hits gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of MIA GALELLA, who went 1-for-5 with one home run.
Meanwhile, with a playoff win on the line, Old Forge rose to the challenge on Friday. They blew past the Foresters 10-0. The Blue Devils might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten games by six runs or more this season.
Kamryn Notari was a major factor no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over five innings pitched. Notari was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one RBI.
In other batting news, Old Forge got a massive performance out of Joselyn DeStefano, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and one double. That triple marked the first that DeStefano has hit this season. Kate O'Hearn was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI.
Holy Cross pushed their record up to 19-1 with the win, which was their eighth straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.1 runs over those games. As for Old Forge, the win got them back to even at 10-10.
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 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Old Forge, though, as they've been averaging only 3.1 strikeouts. Will Holy Cross keep running through batters, or will the Blue Devils buck the trend?
Holy Cross took their victory against Old Forge in their previous matchup back in April by a conclusive 15-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Crusaders since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
