Baseball Recap: Centralia Beats Mater Dei for Their Third Straight Victory

Orphans

Margin (Wins)

04/15/25 @ Cahokia	25
04/15/25 vs Cahokia	12
04/01/25 @ Carbondale	11
03/26/25 vs Herrin	10
04/16/25 @ Mater Dei	8

Centralia made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Mater Dei, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Orphans put the hurt on the Knights with a sharp 13-5 victory on Wednesday. Considering the Orphans have won five contests by more than seven runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.

Nolan Pryor made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He also tossed no walks, which is notable because Centralia is undefeated when he allows at most one walk, but 5-6 otherwise. Pryor was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-5.

In other pitching news, Archie Goewey tossed a big game, pitching five innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off three hits. He is becoming a predictor of Centralia's success: when he allows at most one earned run the team is 4-1 (and 4-5 when he doesn't).

Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Aiden Endres, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances. He has become a key player for Centralia: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 4-6 otherwise. Gabe Houser also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.

Centralia was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .421. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.

The win was the third in a row for Centralia, bringing their record up to 8-6. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 17.0 runs over those games. As for Mater Dei, they are on a five-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 2-8.

Coming up, Centralia will be playing in front of their home fans against Murphysboro at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. The Red Devils will roll in looking for their fourth straight win, something the Orphans surely won't give up without a fight. As for Mater Dei, they are taking a road trip to challenge Hillsboro at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. The Knights are facing the Hiltoppers at the right time seeing as the Hiltoppers are stuck on a seven-game losing streak.