The Bishop McNamara Mustangs will face off against the Paul VI Panthers at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Bishop McNamara is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They put the hurt on Smith Jewish Day School with a sharp 20-2 win on Thursday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Mustangs with their most commanding win of the season.
Koryn Otey was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single hit and allowing only one earned run while striking out eight over four innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.
In other batting news, Bishop McNamara got a massive performance out of Jaslyne Ivey, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with four runs, three RBI, and one triple. That triple was Ivey's first of the season. Another player making a difference was Alyssa Scatliffe, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, two stolen bases, and two runs.
Bishop McNamara was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .576. The last time their batting average was this high was back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, Paul VI had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. Everything went their way against the Cardinals as they made off with an 11-5 victory. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won five matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Maria Dozier was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with four RBI, one triple, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Natalie Monroe, who scored four runs and stole three bases while going 3-for-5.
The win got Bishop McNamara back to even at 3-3. As for Paul VI, their victory bumped their record up to 5-6.
Bishop McNamara's speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's game. The Mustangs have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.8 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Paul VI, though, as they've been averaging only 1.4 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Bishop McNamara continue to outrun the ball?
Bishop McNamara might still be hurting after the 14-3 defeat they got from Paul VI in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Mustangs avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
