Baseball Game Preview: Newark Catholic Green Wave vs. Johnstown-Monroe Johnnies

The Newark Catholic Green Wave are taking a road trip to challenge the Johnstown-Monroe Johnnies at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Newark Catholic's pitching crew has only allowed 2.9 runs per game this season, so Johnstown-Monroe's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Newark Catholic came up short against Granville on Wednesday, falling 9-1. The Green Wave have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Meanwhile, Johnstown-Monroe hadn't done well against Lakewood recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. The Johnnies blew past the Lancers 9-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Johnnies have posted against the Lancers since May 5, 2022.

Braeden Archibald made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Johnstown-Monroe is 3-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 6-7 otherwise. Archibald was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one run.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Sevi Chiddention, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one double. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April of 2024. Kaden Carpenter also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.

The win made it two in a row for Johnstown-Monroe and bumps their season record up to 9-8. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 3 runs in those games. As for Newark Catholic, their loss dropped their record down to 9-7.

Everything went Newark Catholic's way against Johnstown-Monroe in their previous meeting back in April, as Newark Catholic made off with a 10-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Green Wave since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.