Baseball Game Preview: Clearwater Central Catholic Marauders vs. Indian Rocks Christian Eagles

The Clearwater Central Catholic Marauders will take on the Indian Rocks Christian Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Clearwater Central Catholic got their first taste of in-conference action on Tuesday and they started things off strong. They walked away with a 6-2 victory over St. Petersburg Catholic. The Marauders haven't had any issues with the Barons recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive win against them.

Zach Wheeler

Batters Struck Out

04/01/25 @ St. Petersburg Catholic	6
03/25/25 @ Shorecrest Prep	7
03/18/25 vs Northeast	5

Zach Wheeler spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on four hits and racked up six Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Ivan Lopez- Cruz was a standout: he went a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base and two RBI. Those two RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Jamie Vann, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-3.

Meanwhile, Indian Rocks Christian sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-1 victory over Canterbury on Monday.

Hunter Maddox made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Indian Rocks Christian is undefeated when Maddox allows one or fewer hits, but 8-9 otherwise. Maddox was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-2.

Maddox wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Quinn Taylor, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and one RBI.

Indian Rocks Christian's win bumped their record up to 11-9. As for Clearwater Central Catholic, their victory bumped their record up to 5-14.

Clearwater Central Catholic came out on top in a nail-biter against Indian Rocks Christian in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, sneaking past 2-1. Will the Marauders repeat their success, or do the Eagles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.