The St. Anthony Bulldogs will head out on the road to square off against Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
St. Anthony came out on top against Hutsonville/Palestine on Tuesday thanks in part to the team's impressive 14-run third inning. The Bulldogs put the hurt on the Tigers with a sharp 17-2 victory. The Bulldogs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six matchups by six runs or more this season.
Nancy Ruholl made a splash no matter where she played. She struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits (and only one walk). She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, Ady Rios was a standout: she got on base in all four of her plate appearances with four stolen bases, four runs, and one RBI. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March. Lilly Gannaway also deserves some recognition as she launched her first home run of the season.
Meanwhile, Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 4 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Wednesday. They walked away with a 7-2 win over the Trojans.
Like St. Anthony, Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg also got a great game from a two-way player: Mya Friese. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Friese was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Clarissa Johnson, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Zaida Wascher was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg pushed their record up to 17-3 with the victory, which was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.8 runs over those games. As for St. Anthony, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 8-6.
St. Anthony was able to grind out a solid win over Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg when the teams last played back in May of 2024, winning 8-4. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bulldogs since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
