The Brother Rice Warriors will head out to face off against the Central Catholic Fighting Irish at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Brother Rice lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Central, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Wednesday's game. The Warriors were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over the Trail Blazers on Wednesday. The Warriors not only won on Wednesday, but they posted their biggest win since April 28th (when they won 11-1).
Blake Ilitch
Brother Rice got a great performance from Blake Ilitch as he struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Ilitch has become a key player for the Warriors: the team is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 9-10-1 otherwise.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Broder Katke, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. That's the most runs he has posted over his last 11 matches. The team also got some help courtesy of Cash Van Ameyde, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one triple.
Brother Rice always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .533. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Central Catholic had to endure a three-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. Everything went their way against Wauseon on Thursday as they made off with a 12-2 win. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Fighting Irish's hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Beau Gardner made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-5 with four stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.
In other batting news, Dre Wardrop was incredible, going a perfect 5-for-5 with five stolen bases and four runs. Another player making a difference was Preston Fryzel, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
Brother Rice's record is now 14-10-1. As for Central Catholic, their record now sits at 5-14.
Brother Rice took their victory against Central Catholic when the teams last played back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 10-2 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Warriors since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
