The Lake-Lehman Knights will square off against the St. Marys Flying Dutch at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Lake-Lehman sitting on 11 straight victories and St. Marys on four.
Lake-Lehman proved they can win big on Wednesday (they won by eight) and on Thursday they proved they can win the close ones too. They had just enough and edged out Berwick 3-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Knights have posted since April 18th.
Kirsten Finarelli was excellent, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. Another player making a difference was Haylee Makarewicz, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, St. Marys sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-1 victory over Clearfield on Wednesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Flying Dutch have posted against the Bison since May 23, 2018.
Avery Eckels was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She tossed seven innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Molly Hanslovan, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases, one triple, and one run.
St. Marys' victory was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 12-1. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.7 runs over those games. As for Lake-Lehman, their record now sits at 16-1.
Saturday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Lake-Lehman hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .412. However, it's not like St. Marys struggles in that department as they've averaged .324. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
