The Cardinal Mooney Cougars will square off against the Southwest Florida Christian King at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Cardinal Mooney took a loss when they played away from home last Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Lake Highland Prep a 10-0 shutout. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Cougars considering their one-run performance the match before.
Erin Sugg was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Olivia Lockhart
| 04/15/25 vs Lake Highland Prep | 1 |
| 04/14/25 @ Clearwater Central Catholic | 3 |
| 04/10/25 vs Saint Stephen's Episcopal | 3 |
In other batting news, Olivia Lockhart was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times she's played. Another player making a difference was Ava Proffitt, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI and one run.
Cardinal Mooney always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .567. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Lake Highland Prep only posted an OBP of .062.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last contest, Southwest Florida Christian made sure to put some runs up on the board against Babcock on Monday. The King's were the clear victors by a 15-0 margin over the Trailblazers.
Like Cardinal Mooney, Southwest Florida Christian also got a great game from a two-way player: Natalie Recker. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out seven over four innings pitched. Recker was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 4-for-4 with two triples and four RBI. That's the most hits she has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Candice Chime and Adrianna Thorne did most of the damage at the plate: Chime went 2-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs, while Thorne went a perfect 4-for-4 with four runs, two stolen bases, and one double. That's the most hits Thorne has posted since back in March. Isabella Gee was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one triple and one run.
Southwest Florida Christian is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-8 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Cardinal Mooney, they pushed their record up to 10-5 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season.
Tuesday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Cardinal Mooney hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .389. However, it's not like Southwest Florida Christian struggles in that department as they've averaged .380. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Cardinal Mooney was able to grind out a solid win over Southwest Florida Christian in their previous matchup back in February, winning 6-3. Will the Cougars repeat their success, or do the King's have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
