The St. Joseph's Prep Hawks will challenge the Archbishop Wood Vikings at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (St. Joseph's Prep 4, Archbishop Wood 2.9) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Having struggled with four losses in a row, St. Joseph's Prep turned things around against Roman Catholic on Tuesday. They blew past the Cahillite 12-2. That looming 12-2 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Hawks yet this season.
Eddie Dingle
| 04/22/25 vs Roman Catholic | 9 |
| 04/02/25 vs Archbishop Ryan | 5 |
| 04/10/25 @ Conwell-Egan Catholic | 3 |
| 03/26/25 vs Devon Prep | 3 |
| 04/14/25 @ Neumann-Goretti | 1 |
Eddie Dingle looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over four innings pitched. Those nine strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Will Ward, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. That home run marked the first that he has launched this season. Another player making a difference was Robby Grasso, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
St. Joseph's Prep always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .545. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Archbishop Wood couldn't beat Archbishop Ryan on Tuesday even though they stacked four runs on them in the first inning. The Vikings took a 7-4 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Raiders and Ragdolls. The Vikings have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Richie Bayachek was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out ten batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in five consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, AJ Hopkins was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-4 with one home run and three RBI. Caden Vacca was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
St. Joseph's Prep's win bumped their record up to 6-7. As for Archbishop Wood, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-3.
St. Joseph's Prep's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's game. The Hawks have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.4 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Archbishop Wood, though, as they've been averaging only 1.1 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will St. Joseph's Prep continue to outrun the ball?
St. Joseph's Prep was able to grind out a solid victory over Archbishop Wood when the teams last played back in April of 2024, winning 5-2. Do the Hawks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Vikings turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
