The Lutheran Crusaders will venture away from home to face off against the Oregon Hawks at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Lutheran will be looking to extend their current nine-game winning streak.
Lutheran will bounce into Thursday's matchup after beating Stillman Valley, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. The Crusaders were the clear victors by a 17-8 margin over the Cardinals on Tuesday.
Nate Ling
| 05/05/25 vs Stillman Valley | 3 |
| 04/22/25 vs Genoa-Kingston | 3 |
| 04/15/25 @ Rock Falls | 3 |
| 03/26/25 vs Belvidere North | 3 |
| 05/06/25 @ Stillman Valley | 2 |
| + 8 more games |
Lutheran let Alex Bernert and Nate Ling run wild. Bernert got on base in three of his five plate appearances with one home run, four RBI, and two runs, while Ling got on base in four of his six plate appearances with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Ling is becoming a predictor of Lutheran's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 5-7 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Owen Anderson, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
They weren't the only ones working in the home run department: Lutheran lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Oregon fell victim to Byron and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They lost 18-0 to the Tigers. The Hawks have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Lutheran pushed their record up to 13-7 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.4 runs over those games. As for Oregon, their loss dropped their record down to 10-13.
Lutheran came out on top in a nail-biter against Oregon when the teams last played back in April of 2024, sneaking past 3-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Crusaders since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
