Preview: John Carroll Catholic Rams vs. Master's Academy Patriots
John Carroll Catholic is 3-0 against Master's Academy since April of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Wednesday. The John Carroll Catholic Rams will look to defend their home field against the Master's Academy Patriots at 6:00 p.m. John Carroll Catholic is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 6.3 runs per game this season.
Tuesday just wasn't the day for John Carroll Catholic's offense. Their rough 10-0 defeat to Hagerty on Tuesday might stick with them for a while. It was the first time this season that John Carroll Catholic let down their fans at home.
Meanwhile, Master's Academy had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8 runs), and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They blew past the Terriers 12-2. The result was nothing new for Master's Academy, who have now won three matchups by ten runs or more so far this season.
Dean Buxton and Nate Downey were a major factor while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Buxton struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off six hits. Meanwhile, Downey pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also didn't allow any walks). At the plate, Buxton went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a double, while Downey went 1-for-4 with a stolen base, a double, and an RBI.
In other batting news, Peter Grispo was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Colton Thompson, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
John Carroll Catholic's loss ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 8-5. As for Master's Academy, the win got them back to even at 4-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. John Carroll Catholic has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Master's Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.2 per game. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
John Carroll Catholic beat Master's Academy 6-1 in their previous meeting back in May of 2023. Will John Carroll Catholic repeat their success, or does Master's Academy have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
