Preview: McArthur Mustangs vs. St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders
McArthur has been on the road for two straight, but on Thursday they'll finally head home. They will take on the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (McArthur: 4.1, St. Thomas Aquinas: 2.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
In what's become a running theme this season, McArthur gave their fans yet another huge win on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Cooper City as McArthur made off with a 7-1 victory.
Tyler Smith and Garvey Person made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, Smith tossed six innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Meanwhile, Person pitched an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also didn't allow any walks). Smith has been consistent recently: he hasn't pitched less than five innings in three consecutive pitching appearances. At the plate, Smith went 3-for-4 with a triple, a run, and an RBI, while Person scored two runs while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Isnedit Fernandez, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with a double.
Meanwhile, St. Thomas Aquinas waltzed into their match on Wednesday with four straight wins... but they left with five. They came out on top against the Eagles by a score of 7-3.
St. Thomas Aquinas also got a great performance from Anthony Ciscar as he struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Zack Malvasio, who went 1-for-2 with a home run, four RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Andrew Alvarez, who scored two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
McArthur's win bumped their record up to 9-3. As for St. Thomas Aquinas, their victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. McArthur has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like St. Thomas Aquinas struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.8 per game. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
McArthur came up short against St. Thomas Aquinas in their previous meeting back in April of 2023, falling 3-0. Thankfully for McArthur, Nicholas Falla (who tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also didn't allow any walks)) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
