The Wakefield Wolverines are taking a road trip to challenge the Cardinal Gibbons Crusaders at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
Cardinal Gibbons will be up against a hot Wakefield squad: the team just extended their winning streak to five. Wakefield blew past Athens Drive 10-0 on Thursday. Give the Wolverines' pitching crew some credit: that's the team's third straight shutout.
Ethan Wisler
| 03/13/25 vs Athens Drive | 7 |
| 03/07/25 vs Sanderson | 6 |
| 03/04/25 vs East Wake Academy | 4 |
| 03/29/24 vs Buckeye Valley | 4 |
| 03/21/24 vs Rolesville | 4 |
Ethan Wisler was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in strikeouts. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
In other batting news, Thomas Piscorik and Mikey Katz did most of the damage at the plate: Piscorik scored a run while going 1-for-2, while Katz scored a run while going 1-for-3. Evan Genao was another key player, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
Wakefield always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .533. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Athens Drive only posted an OBP of .318.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Gibbons won against Wake County HomeSchool on Tuesday with seven runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Thursday. Cardinal Gibbons beat Hamden Hall Country Day by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 7-1. The Crusaders might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three matchups by six runs or more this season.
Owen Hines tossed a big game, tossing 4.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Cam Tarkenton was incredible, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, two stolen bases, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Damon Phillips, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 1-for-3.
Wakefield's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-1. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.6 runs on average over those games. As for Cardinal Gibbons, the win got them back to even at 4-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Wakefield has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Cardinal Gibbons struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Wakefield came out on top in a nail-biter against Cardinal Gibbons in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, sneaking past 3-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for Wakefield since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
