Bishop O'Connell has won 13 straight games at home (dating back to last season), while Paul VI has won 13 straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Tuesday. The Knights will welcome the Panthers at 4:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Bishop O'Connell's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed last Wednesday. They were the clear victors by a 14-0 margin over The Academy of the Holy Cross.
Ella Fletcher made a splash while hitting and pitching. She pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one walk in seven consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Abby Bond, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two triples, one stolen base, and two RBI. Those two triples gave her a new career-high. Gigi Payne was another key player, going a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run and two RBI.
Bishop O'Connell kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 21 hits. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their hit total in three consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last game, Paul VI made sure to put some runs up on the board against Independence on Thursday. The Panthers were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over the Blue Devils.
Like Bishop O'Connell, Paul VI also got a great game from a two-way player: Anisa Noorani. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Noorani was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one home run and three RBI.
In other batting news, Presley Gatlin and Ashley Robinson did most of the damage at the plate: Gatlin went 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs, while Robinson went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one triple. Another player making a difference was McKenna Drawbaugh, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Bishop O'Connell's victory bumped their record up to 11-0. As for Paul VI, their win bumped their record up to 12-10.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Bishop O'Connell has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Paul VI struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 11.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Bishop O'Connell came out on top in a nail-biter against Paul VI in their previous matchup back in March, sneaking past 8-7. Will the Knights repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
