When Greencastle-Antrim and Bishop McDevitt meet on the softball field on Saturday morning, both teams will be expecting to walk away victorious.
That’s because both squads have been hammering opponents this season and both have established themselves as high-ranked contenders in the District 3 power rankings. Assuming the forecasted rains hold off, fans should expect quite a battle when the Blue Devils host the Crusaders. Bishop McDevitt, coming off a losing season, has flipped the script with a winning start this spring, while Greencastle is aiming to bounce back after suffering its first loss in eight games.
We’ve selected this matchup as our Game of the Week.
In the weeks and months to come throughout the high school sports season, we plan on spotlighting multiple teams and sports with our Game of the Week. Any big upcoming games we should know about? Send suggestions to Andy Sandrik via email at [email protected].
Bishop McDevitt at Greencastle-Antrim
First pitch: Saturday, 11 a.m., at Greencastle
Records: Bishop McDevitt is 4-2, while the Blue Devils check in with a 7-1 record.
Last game: The Crusaders topped Hershey by an 8-5 score, while Greencastle is coming off a 7-3 loss to South Western.
Meet the Crusaders: Bishop McDevitt, the No. 4-ranked team in the District 3-4A power rankings, enters this contest on a three-game winning streak, with the Crusaders outscoring their opponents 34-15 over that stretch … McDevitt’s only losses have come to Carlisle and Lower Dauphin, squads that are ranked in the district’s Top 5 in 6A and 5A, respectively … It’s been a fast start for the Crusaders, who could equal their win total from the 2024 season with a victory over the Blue Devils … McDevitt is aiming to return to the form that brought it to its only district championship, a 4A title, in 2021 … The Crusaders are led by the Thomas girls — Janna and Julia — who serve as the team’s pitcher and catcher, respectively, and provide power bats for a potent offense … Julia Thomas, a Mid-Penn Keystone Third Teamer in 2024, is committed to the University of Northwestern Ohio, while her teammate, Teagan Clark, signed the dotted line to play at Marywood … Bishop McDevitt is coached by Deb Seneca.
Meet the Blue Devils: Greencastle-Antrim opened its season on a seven-game winning streak, but the Blue Devils enter this contest with a bad taste in their mouth after taking their first loss from undefeated South Western … The loss to the Mustangs aside, this has been a dominant season for Greencastle, which has squashed opponents by a combined 78-20 score this season, averaging 9.75 runs per contest … The Blue Devils, ranked No. 2 in District 3-5A, haven’t missed a step this season after losing Colonial Division Player of the Year Makayla Jerin to graduation … Greencastle’s lineup features seven full-time players who are batting .375 or higher: Meadow Gambacurta (.522), Zhen Reuter (.500), Caroline Logsdon (.423), Kindal Rice (.409), Erika Hoover (.381), Kaidyn Zimmerman (.375), and Bailey Leckron (.375) … The bulk of the Blue Devils pitching is handled by Kiersten Swain and Paiton Gordon … Swain, who has yet to allow an earned run in 16 2/3 innings of work, is 4-0 with 28 strikeouts … Gordon has pitched 16 1/3 innings and is 1-0 with 2.10 ERA and 13 strikeouts … The Blue Devils are led by Mark DeCarli, the 2024 Colonial Division Coach of the Year.
Prediction: Blue Devils by 3.
