The Mater Dei Knights will take on the Father McGivney Catholic Griffins at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Mater Dei took a loss when they played away from home last Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They came out on top against Gibault Catholic by a score of 4-1. The Knights haven't had any issues with the Hawks recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Chase Zurliene
| 04/21/25 vs Althoff Catholic | 6 |
| 04/14/25 vs Greenville | 5 |
| 03/31/25 @ Triad | 5 |
| 05/07/25 vs Gibault Catholic | 2 |
| 04/26/25 @ Marquette Catholic | 2 |
| + 1 more games |
Chase Zurliene tossed a big game, striking out six batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. He also tossed two walks, which is notable because Mater Dei is 2-1 when he allows at most two walks, but 3-12 otherwise.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jack Reynolds, who went 1-for-2 with one home run and two runs. Reid Innes was another key player, going a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Mater Dei was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .389. The last time their batting average was this high was back in May of 2024.
Meanwhile, Father McGivney Catholic came tearing into Thursday's contest with 24 straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Bulldogs 6-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Griffins have posted since April 22nd.
Kannon Kamp made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed seven innings while giving up four earned runs off nine hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one RBI.
In other batting news, Isaac Wendler was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Drew Kleinheider, who went 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI.
Father McGivney Catholic's win was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 27-2. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.8 runs over those games. As for Mater Dei, their win bumped their record up to 5-13.
Mater Dei couldn't quite get it done against Father McGivney Catholic in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 as they fell 4-1. Will the Knights have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
