The Notre Dame (SO) Knights will venture away from home to square off against the Louisville Royals at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Notre Dame (SO) is coming into the game hot, having won their last nine games.
Notre Dame (SO) proved they can win big on Monday (they won by ten) and on Thursday they proved they can win the close ones too. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 7-5 win over Sierra Canyon. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Knights have posted since April 18, 2024.
Keira Luderer
| 03/27/25 vs Sierra Canyon | 2 |
| 03/21/25 vs Hamilton | 1 |
| 03/06/25 vs Flintridge Sacred Heart | 1 |
| 03/01/25 vs St. Joseph | 1 |
The team relied heavily on Keira Luderer, who fired off two home runs and three RBI while going 2-for-3. Those two home runs gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Molly Coppola, who went 1-for-2 with one home run and two RBI.
Notre Dame (SO) hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most four strikeouts in 11 consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Louisville has relied on a stalwart pitcher averaging 3.82 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Thursday. They came up short against Chaminade, falling 11-1. The Royals have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Louisville saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kelsey Vitalis, who went 1-for-2 with one double and one RBI.
Notre Dame (SO)'s win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-3. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.7 runs over those games. As for Louisville, their loss dropped their record down to 4-7.
Louisville's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Notre Dame (SO) has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .474. It's a different story for Louisville, though, as they've only averaged .364. Will they be able to contain Notre Dame (SO)'s hitters?
Notre Dame (SO) came out on top in a nail-biter against Louisville in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, sneaking past 5-4. The rematch might be a little tougher for Notre Dame (SO) since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
