Crown Point is 1-9 against Lake Central since April of 2022 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Bulldogs will square off against the Indians at 5:00 p.m. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Crown Point sitting on six straight victories and Lake Central on eight.
Crown Point is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They didn't even let Hammond Central on the board, marking the Bulldogs' second-straight 15-0 shutout. Considering the Bulldogs have won 20 contests by more than six runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Lexi Smith
| 05/29/25 vs Hammond Central | 14 |
| 04/22/25 vs Michigan City | 13 |
| 04/08/24 @ Merrillville | 12 |
| 05/21/25 vs La Porte | 11 |
| 04/08/25 @ Valparaiso | 11 |
Lexi Smith made a splash while hitting and pitching. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 14 over five innings pitched. Those 14 strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
In other batting news, Crown Point let Samantha Dunlap and Hayden Brock run wild. Dunlap went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI, while Brock went 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That's the most RBI Dunlap has posted since May 1st. Corrine Peart also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Crown Point hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in five consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Lake Central faced Munster in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Thursday. The Indians came out on top against the Mustangs by a score of 9-4.
Maddie Such spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned runs on five hits and racked up 11 Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in nine consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Tegan Tripp was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and two doubles. Kate Renschen was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Crown Point's record is now 26-4. As for Lake Central, their record now sits at 27-3.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Crown Point hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 1 home runs per game. However, it's not like Lake Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.9 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Crown Point came up short against Lake Central in their previous matchup on May 13th, falling 5-1. Can the Bulldogs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
