The Bishop Conaty-Loretto Wildcats will head out to square off against the St. Monica Mariners at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Bishop Conaty-Loretto is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.5 runs per game this season.
It was a proper cat-fight when Bishop Conaty-Loretto duked it out with Hawthorne on Saturday. The Wildcats walked away with an 8-5 win over the Cougars.
Jaslyn Sigaran made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 14 batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in eight consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kaylah Araujo, who went 2-for-4 with one triple and two RBI. That triple was her first of the season. Jocelyn Antonio was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask St. Monica). They blew past Serra 27-3 on Thursday. The result was nothing new for the Mariners, who have now won five matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Like Bishop Conaty-Loretto, St. Monica also got a great game from a two-way player: Bella Urbina. On the mound, she struck out 13 batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. Those 13 strikeouts gave Urbina a new career-high. She was also big at the plate, scoring three runs while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Katrina Olmedo and Megan Garcia did most of the damage at the plate: Olmedo got on base in all five of her plate appearances with one home run, five runs, and four RBI, while Garcia got on base in all five of her plate appearances with one home run, five runs, and five RBI. Those five RBI gave Garcia a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Savanna Hernandez, who scored five runs and stole a base while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances.
St. Monica always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .800. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
St. Monica is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight games. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-7 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.1 runs over those games. As for Bishop Conaty-Loretto, they now have a winning record of 8-7.
Tuesday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Bishop Conaty-Loretto has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .478. However, it's not like St. Monica struggles in that department as they've averaged .502. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Bishop Conaty-Loretto came up short against St. Monica in their previous meeting back in March, falling 11-8. Can the Wildcats avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
