Softball Preview: St. Mary's Ryken Knights vs. Bishop O'Connell Knights
St. Mary's Ryken is on a five-game streak of home wins, while Bishop O'Connell is on a 13-game streak of away wins (dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. The St. Mary's Ryken Knights will take on the Bishop O'Connell Knights at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
St. Mary's Ryken's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 10-0 margin over Paul VI. That's two games straight that St. Mary's Ryken has won by exactly ten runs.
Mikaela Guy was a major factor no matter where she played. She pitched an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Guy was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-3 with two triples, three runs, and three RBI.
In other batting news, St. Mary's Ryken let Ava Chadwick and Myla Harding loose on the outfield. Chadwick went 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBI, and a double, while Harding scored two runs while going 2-for-3. Chadwick has been hot recently, having posted at least one home run the last four times she's played. Mackenzie Gorczyca was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Bishop O'Connell got the win against Our Lady of Good Counsel on Friday by a conclusive 16-1.
Ella Fletcher looked comfortable as she tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
On the hitting side, Bishop O'Connell got a massive performance out of Sophia Taliaferro, who went 4-for-5 with five RBI, two runs, and a stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Sofia Anderson, who scored three runs and stole four bases while going 3-for-5.
St. Mary's Ryken's victory bumped their record up to 10-0. As for Bishop O'Connell, their win bumped their record up to 12-0.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. St. Mary's Ryken has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 11.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bishop O'Connell struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.7. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
St. Mary's Ryken came up short against Bishop O'Connell in their previous meeting back in May of 2023, falling 5-2. Thankfully for St. Mary's Ryken, Katie Kutz (who struck out 17 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
