The Bishop McNamara Fightin' Irish will face off against Chicago Hope Academy at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Bishop McNamara 2.5, Chicago Hope Academy 2.3) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Bishop McNamara is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 12 runs on Thursday, they were much more limited against Shepard on Saturday. They fell just short of the Astros by a score of 3-2. The Fightin' Irish haven't had much luck with the Astros recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.
Bridget Bertrand was cooking despite her team's loss, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one double and one RBI. Rhaya DePaolo was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Chicago Hope Academy). Everything went their way against Proviso East on Friday as they made off with a 21-1 win. The result was nothing new for Chicago Hope Academy, who have now won five matchups by 12 runs or more so far this season.
Lina Wilson was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she pitched three innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring four runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 1.2 stolen bases per game.
In other batting news, Autumn Brown and Isa Medina did most of the damage at the plate: Brown scored three runs and stole three bases while going 3-for-3, while Medina got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. That home run was Medina's first of the season. Another player making a difference was Emma Lopez, who scored two runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-3.
Chicago Hope Academy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .652. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Proviso East only posted a batting average of .000.
Chicago Hope Academy's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-1. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 17.0 runs over those games. As for Bishop McNamara, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-4.
Monday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Bishop McNamara hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .339. However, it's not like Chicago Hope Academy struggles in that department as they've averaged .510. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Bishop McNamara took their victory against Chicago Hope Academy in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 17-0 score. Do the Fightin' Irish have another victory up their sleeve, or will Chicago Hope Academy turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
