The Marist RedHawks will challenge the Lincoln-Way Central Knights at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Marist is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last five games.
Marist is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Joliet West a 13-0 shutout. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the RedHawks considering their two-run performance the contest before.
Nick Pigatto
| 05/30/26 vs Joliet West | 2 |
| 05/16/26 vs Carmel | 1 |
| 05/13/26 @ Marian Catholic | 1 |
| 05/07/26 vs Lincoln-Way East | 1 |
| 05/02/26 @ Saint Viator | 1 |
The team relied heavily on Nick Pigatto, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. Those two RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Ryan Lawlor, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI.
Marist kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their hit total in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Lincoln-Way Central hadn't done well against Lincoln-Way East recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Saturday. The Knights narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Griffins 6-5. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Knights have posted against the Griffins since May 17, 2024.
Owen Novak tossed a big game, striking out nine batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Lincoln-Way Central is undefeated when Novak allows one or fewer earned runs, but 10-19 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Conor McCabe was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Luke Tingley, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
Marist's win bumped their record up to 24-12. As for Lincoln-Way Central, their victory bumped their record up to 17-19.
Marist came out on top in a nail-biter against Lincoln-Way Central in their previous meeting back in April, sneaking past 2-0. Do the RedHawks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Knights turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
