Heritage is 0-10 against Melbourne Central Catholic since February of 2021 but things could change on Monday. The Heritage Panthers will square off against the Melbourne Central Catholic Hustlers at 4:30 p.m. Heritage knows how to get runs on the board -- the squad has finished with ten runs or more in their past three matches -- so hopefully Melbourne Central Catholic likes a good challenge.
Last Wednesday, everything went Heritage's way against Varsity Opponent as Heritage made off with a 17-7 victory. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won six games by seven runs or more so far this season.
Marshall Braden was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two RBI.
In other batting news, Heritage got a massive performance out of Joel Fernandez, who went 3-for-4 with four RBI and one double. Another player making a difference was Kethziel Torres, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Heritage always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .606. The last time their OBP was this high was back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, Melbourne Central Catholic didn't have quite enough to beat Benjamin on Wednesday and fell 4-3. The loss continues a trend for the Hustlers in their meetings with the Buccaneers: they've now lost three in a row.
Like Heritage, Melbourne Central Catholic also got a great game from a two-way player: Ryder Widick. He tossed four innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits. What's more, Widick gave up only one walk, the fewest he's had since back in February. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI. That double marked the first that he hit this season.
Melbourne Central Catholic's defeat dropped their record down to 7-6. As for Heritage, their record now sits at 11-6.
Heritage suffered a grim 8-2 defeat to Melbourne Central Catholic when the teams last played back in February. Can Heritage avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
