Johnsburg is 2-7 against Marian Central Catholic since April of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Skyhawks will head out to square off against the Hurricanes at 4:30 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Johnsburg will bounce into Monday's matchup after beating Grayslake North, who they had gone 1-6 against in their seven prior meetings. The Skyhawks blew past the Knights 13-2 on Saturday. Considering the Skyhawks have won nine games by more than five runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Nate Frost
| 05/10/25 @ Grayslake North | 2 |
| 05/03/25 vs McHenry | 0 |
| 04/17/25 vs Grant Community | 2 |
Nate Frost looked comfortable as he tossed 3.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits. What's more, he posted two strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Riley Johnson, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in April. Dom Vallone was another key player, going 2-for-5 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Johnsburg hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least three batters in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Marian Central Catholic, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. They walked away with a 14-9 win over Westmont on Friday.
TJ Cutrona was a major factor no matter where he played. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Marian Central Catholic is 3-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 6-20 otherwise. Cutrona was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Jaxson Christensen was incredible, going 2-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. He has become a key player for Marian Central Catholic: the team is undefeated when he posts at least three RBI, but 6-21 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Owen Neuzil, who went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.
Johnsburg has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 20-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.2 runs on average over those games. As for Marian Central Catholic, their win ended a five-game drought at home and bumped them up to 9-21.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Johnsburg has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Marian Central Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Johnsburg skirted past Marian Central Catholic 1-0 in their previous meeting back in March. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Skyhawks since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
