The St. Mary Vikings will head out on the road to square off against the Livingston Central Cardinals at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. St. Mary is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.8 runs per game this season.
On Thursday, St. Mary made easy work of Ballard Memorial and carried off a 12-2 win. The Vikings might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 11 matchups by seven runs or more this season.
Kolson Durbin made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. What's more, he posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
| 04/24/25 vs Ballard Memorial | 4 |
| 04/21/25 vs Lyon County | 1 |
| 03/31/25 vs Christian Fellowship | 1 |
| 03/22/25 vs Community Christian | 1 |
In other batting news, Baker Elder was excellent, going 2-for-3 with four RBI and one run. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. Andrew Puckett also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
St. Mary always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .548. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Ballard Memorial only posted an OBP of .333.
Meanwhile, Livingston Central hadn't done well against Ballard Memorial recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Saturday. The Cardinals blew past the Bombers 9-2. The victory continues a trend for the Cardinals in their matchups with the Bombers: they've now won three in a row.
Like St. Mary, Livingston Central also got a great game from a two-way player: Avery Zaim. He tossed five innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits. Zaim was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Drew Hosick, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Mason Hargrove was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two runs.
The win made it two in a row for St. Mary and bumps their season record up to 14-2. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 3 runs in those games. As for Livingston Central, their record is now 6-15.
Livingston Central's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: St. Mary hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .358. It's a different story for Livingston Central, though, as they've only averaged .255. Will they be able to contain St. Mary's hitters?
Everything went St. Mary's way against Livingston Central in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, as St. Mary made off with a 12-2 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Vikings since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
