Fort Wayne Bishop Luers is 0-4 against Homestead since May of 2015 but things could change on Monday. The Knights will square off against the Spartans at 4:00 p.m. Fort Wayne Bishop Luers is coming into the contest hot, having won their last eight games.
Fort Wayne Bishop Luers' pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. Everything went their way against Fort Wayne North Side as they made off with a 20-0 victory. That 20 run margin sets a new team best for the Knights this season.
Anthony Antonuccio was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, Fort Wayne Bishop Luers let Christian Brell and Jaxson Hill run wild. Brell got on base in two of his three plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI, while Hill went 1-for-2 with three RBI and two runs. Another player making a difference was Cooper Peters, who went 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Fort Wayne Bishop Luers was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .462. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Homestead, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. They put the hurt on McCutcheon with a sharp 9-0 win on Saturday. The Spartans not only won on Saturday, but they posted their biggest win since May 9th (when they won 10-0).
Ryne Michaeloff tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out seven over six innings pitched.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Shane Bardwell, who went 1-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Connor Diehm, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
Fort Wayne Bishop Luers pushed their record up to 18-9 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Homestead, their record now sits at 20-6.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Fort Wayne Bishop Luers has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Homestead struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 2.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Fort Wayne Bishop Luers suffered a grim 15-4 defeat to Homestead when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Can the Knights avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
