Comets
| 05/12/25 @ Amboy | 8 |
| 05/10/25 @ Bishop McNamara | 2 |
| 05/09/25 @ Monmouth-Roseville | 19 |
| 05/08/25 @ Kewanee | 21 |
| 05/07/25 @ Mendota | 11 |
| + 23 more games |
The Newman Central Catholic Comets will head out on the road to challenge the Erie-Prophetstown Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Newman Central Catholic is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.4 runs per game this season.
Newman Central Catholic's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. They blew past Amboy 8-0. The victory continues a trend for the Comets in their matchups with the Clippers: they've now won five in a row.
Not much got past Evan Bushman, who gave up just three hits and racked up nine Ks to keep Amboy off the board. Bushman has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Garret Matznick, who went 2-for-5 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Another player making a difference was Joe Oswalt, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Newman Central Catholic was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .393. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Amboy only posted a batting average of .136.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Erie-Prophetstown, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They put the hurt on Mendota with a sharp 9-0 win on Monday. That nine run margin sets a new team best for the Panthers this season.
The result came thanks to Braedyn Frank's shutout, as he gave up just two hits and racked up seven Ks. Erie-Prophetstown is 2-1 when Frank allows three or fewer hits, but 3-9 otherwise.
At the plate, Caden VanHorn was incredible, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. Braylon Swertfeger was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Newman Central Catholic's victory bumped their record up to 23-4-1. As for Erie-Prophetstown, their win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 5-10.
Erie-Prophetstown's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Newman Central Catholic hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .342. It's a different story for Erie-Prophetstown, though, as they've only averaged .215. Will they be able to contain Newman Central Catholic's hitters?
Everything went Newman Central Catholic's way against Erie-Prophetstown in their previous meeting back in April, as Newman Central Catholic made off with a 15-7 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Comets since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
