The Tampa Catholic Crusaders will square off against the Buchholz Bobcats at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Tampa Catholic is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.1 runs per game this season.
Buchholz will be up against a hot Tampa Catholic squad: the team just extended their winning streak to three. Tampa Catholic came out on top in a nail-biter against Academy of the Holy Names on Thursday, sneaking past 9-7. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Crusaders have posted since March 13, 2024.
Olivia Ricciardi made a big impact no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over 4.1 innings pitched. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one triple. That triple marked the first that she hit this season.
In other batting news, Tampa Catholic let Jada Johnson and Bella Busciglio run wild. Johnson went 1-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs, while Busciglio scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. That's the most hits Busciglio has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Raegan Kirchen, who scored two runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Tampa Catholic was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .379. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Buchholz might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 11-2 to Gainesville, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior. The Bobcats have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Juliana Abraham was cooking despite her team's loss, going a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run.
Tampa Catholic pushed their record up to 5-4 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for Buchholz, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-3.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Tampa Catholic hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like Buchholz struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.5 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
