St. Joseph Catholic hasn't had much luck against Madison-Ridgeland Academy recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Bruins will challenge the Patriots at 6:30 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Having struggled with 13 losses in a row, St. Joseph Catholic turned things around against Jackson Academy on Thursday. They walked away with a 5-2 win over the Raiders.
Chad Davidson spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on five hits and racked up nine Ks.
On the hitting side, St. Joseph Catholic let Reid Hager and John Dean D'Antonio run wild. Hager went 1-for-2 with one triple, one run, and one RBI, while D'Antonio went 1-for-2 with one triple and one run.
Meanwhile, Madison-Ridgeland Academy faced Hartfield Academy in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Patriots were the clear victors by a 12-2 margin over the Hawks. Surprisingly, this marked the Patriots' third straight game in which the away team has come away the victor.
Rhett Taylor was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed five innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and one double. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Garrett Gardner was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March of 2024. Tyler Hester also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
Madison-Ridgeland Academy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .448. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hartfield Academy only posted a batting average of .227.
Madison-Ridgeland Academy has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 17-12 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.2 runs over those games. As for St. Joseph Catholic, their win was their first in the district, bumping their district record up to 1-11 and their overall record up to 10-16.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. St. Joseph Catholic has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Madison-Ridgeland Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 2.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
St. Joseph Catholic might still be hurting after the 12-0 defeat they got from Madison-Ridgeland Academy in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Bruins avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
