Softball Game Preview: Tampa Catholic Crusaders vs. Fort Meade Miners

The Tampa Catholic Crusaders will square off against the Fort Meade Miners at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Tampa Catholic will bounce into Wednesday's game after beating Berkeley Prep, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. The Crusaders came out on top against the Buccaneers by a score of 6-3 on Friday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Crusaders.

Olivia Ricciardi spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on four hits and racked up nine Ks.

On the hitting side, Raegan Kirchen was excellent, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Emma Muzi, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3.

Meanwhile, Fort Meade posted their closest win since May 8, 2024 on Tuesday. They skirted past Auburndale 5-3.

The team relied heavily on Makayla Deleon, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times she's played. Cailynn Johnson was another key player, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4.

Fort Meade kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are 10-2 when they post 11 or more hits.

Fort Meade's victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 13-9. As for Tampa Catholic, their win bumped their record up to 9-7.