Baseball Preview: Roncalli Royals vs. Columbus East Olympians
After two games on the road, Roncalli is heading back home. They will take on the Columbus East Olympians at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Roncalli is headed into the game fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They put the hurt on Greeneview with a sharp 16-2 victory on Saturday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded Roncalli with their most commanding win of the season.
Charlie Baker spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on one hit and racked up six Ks.
At the plate, Parker Doughtery was a standout: he went 2-for-2 with three RBI, a triple, and a stolen base. Johnny Jaffe was another key contributor, scoring two runs while going 4-for-4.
Meanwhile, Columbus East sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 9-7 win over Bloomington North on Wednesday.
Chase Niese and Aj Tindell did most of the damage at the plate: Niese scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances, while Tindell went 3-for-4 with two runs, a triple, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Blake Borkhardt, who scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Roncalli's victory bumped their record up to 15-7. As for Columbus East, their win ended a 15-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 8-16.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Roncalli has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Columbus East struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.7. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Roncalli took their victory against Columbus East in their previous matchup back in May of 2023 by a conclusive 13-0. Will Roncalli repeat their success, or does Columbus East have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
