Baseball Preview: Valmeyer Pirates vs. Father McGivney Catholic Griffins
Valmeyer has enjoyed a four-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the Father McGivney Catholic Griffins at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Valmeyer is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.3 runs per game this season.
Last Thursday, it was a hard-fought game, but Valmeyer had to settle for a 7-6 defeat against Steeleville. Valmeyer has struggled against Steeleville recently, as their contest on Thursday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Luke Blackwell was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Troy Neff, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Father McGivney Catholic entered their tilt with Alton with seven consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with eight. Everything went their way against the Redbirds on Sunday as they made off with a 10-2 win. The result was nothing new for Father McGivney Catholic, who have now won 17 matchups by six runs or more so far this season.
Chase Kelley looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on David Carroll, who went 1-for-1 with three RBI, a triple, and a run. Another player making a difference was Drew Kleinheider, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases.
Valmeyer's loss dropped their record down to 12-9. As for Father McGivney Catholic, they are on a roll lately: they've won 15 of their last 16 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 22-2 record this season.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Valmeyer has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Father McGivney Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.6. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Valmeyer suffered a grim 15-0 defeat to Father McGivney Catholic when the teams last played back in May of 2023. Thankfully for Valmeyer, Daniel Gierer (who kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits over four innings pitched) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
