Chicago Hope Academy will challenge the Newman Central Catholic Comets at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Chicago Hope Academy sitting on four straight wins and Newman Central Catholic on three.
Chicago Hope Academy is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They blew past Latin 11-1. Considering Chicago Hope Academy has won 16 matchups by more than five runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Dominic Bonilla was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three stolen bases, four runs, and two doubles. That's the most doubles he has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Matthew Mendez, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three stolen bases and four runs.
Chicago Hope Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .531. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Latin only posted an OBP of .211.
Meanwhile, Newman Central Catholic was able to grind out a solid victory over Johnsburg on Saturday, taking the game 6-2.
Garret Matznick made a splash while hitting and pitching. He pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
In other pitching news, Drake Cole looked comfortable as he tossed four innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Garet Wolfe, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. Daniel Kelly was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Chicago Hope Academy's win bumped their record up to 26-12. As for Newman Central Catholic, their victory bumped their record up to 26-7-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Chicago Hope Academy has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Newman Central Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Chicago Hope Academy came up short against Newman Central Catholic in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, falling 6-2. Can Chicago Hope Academy avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
