The Whippany Park Wildcats will square off against the Morris Catholic Crusaders at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Whippany Park and Hanover Park meet (five straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Wednesday. The Wildcats came up short against the Hornets, falling 12-4. The Wildcats have struggled against the Hornets recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive lost meeting.
Julia Beers stepped up to lead a balanced group of hitters: she scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Alyssa Wang, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Morris Catholic entered their tilt with Pequannock on Wednesday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They were the clear victors by a 17-3 margin over the Golden Panthers. The result was nothing new for the Crusaders, who have now won four games by seven runs or more so far this season.
Ava Florio tossed a big game, tossing five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits. What's more, she posted five strikeouts, the most she's had since back in May of 2024.
At the plate, Morris Catholic got a massive performance out of Natalie Carovillano, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. What's more, Carovillano posted two RBI, the most she's had since back in May of 2024. Marielle Balonze was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI, two doubles, and one run.
Morris Catholic was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .581. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .355 or higher in three consecutive matches.
Morris Catholic pushed their record up to 4-2 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Whippany Park, their loss was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 3-3.
Both Whippany Park and Morris Catholic just can't seem to miss. The Wildcats have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.7 hits per game. However, it's not like Morris Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 3.3 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Whippany Park came out on top in a nail-biter against Morris Catholic when the teams last played back in April of 2024, sneaking past 3-1. Will the Wildcats repeat their success, or do the Crusaders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
