The East Catholic Eagles will square off against the St. Paul Catholic Falcons on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
East Catholic is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Lyman Memorial with a sharp 17-4 victory. The win was familiar territory for the Eagles, who have now won three contests in a row.
East Catholic got a massive performance out of Ciara Flaherty, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, four runs, and two stolen bases. What's more, Flaherty posted four RBI, the most she's had since back in April. Another player making a difference was Katinka Nolan, who went 3-for-4 with five RBI, three runs, and two doubles.
East Catholic was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .615. They are 7-2 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Seven must be St. Paul Catholic's lucky number: they beat Thomaston with that score not once but twice on Wednesday. The Falcons didn't even let the Bears on the board, marking the Falcons' second-straight 7-0 shutout. Winning may never get old, but the Falcons sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.
Not much got past Lauren Kozlak, who gave up just four hits and racked up 16 Ks to keep Thomaston off the board. Kozlak has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 16 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, St. Paul Catholic's victory was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Stella Boucino, who went 1-for-2 with two RBI and one run. Laila McCulloch was another, getting on base in two of her four plate appearances with two runs.
St. Paul Catholic pushed their record up to 23-3 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.9 runs on average over those games. As for East Catholic, the win got them back to even at 11-11.
Friday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. East Catholic has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .456. However, it's not like St. Paul Catholic struggles in that department as they've averaged .499. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
