Melbourne Central Catholic and Eau Gallie are an even 3-3 against one another since March of 2017, but likely not for long. Melbourne Central Catholic is taking a road trip to challenge Eau Gallie at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Melbourne Central Catholic 4, Eau Gallie 2.1) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Melbourne Central Catholic lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Palm Bay, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Monday's contest. Melbourne Central Catholic's pitcher stepped up to hand Palm Bay a 15-0 shutout on Monday. The result was nothing new for the Hustlers, who have now won six games by six runs or more so far this season.
Thomas Chiuchiolo
| 03/31/25 @ Palm Bay | 1 |
| 03/24/25 vs Heritage | 1 |
| 03/18/25 @ Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy | 1 |
| 03/11/25 vs Viera | 1 |
| 03/04/25 @ Merritt Island Christian | 1 |
| + 4 more games |
Thomas Chiuchiolo made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out eight over four innings pitched. He has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Levi Rollinger, who went 1-for-3 with five RBI, one run, and one double. Those five RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Collin O'Connell, who scored two runs while going 1-for-2.
Melbourne Central Catholic always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .576. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Eau Gallie entered their tilt with Wheaton Academy on Monday with four consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with five. They came out on top against the Warriors by a score of 6-1.
Eau Gallie also got a great performance from Chase McBrearty as he pitched five innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit.
At the plate, Carson Lietz was incredible, going 1-for-2 with one home run and two RBI. Nick Cunningham was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-1.
Eau Gallie's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-5. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.7 runs over those games. As for Melbourne Central Catholic, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 10-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Melbourne Central Catholic has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Eau Gallie struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Melbourne Central Catholic came out on top in a nail-biter against Eau Gallie in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, sneaking past 2-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for Melbourne Central Catholic since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
