The Atlantic City Vikings will square off against the Wildwood Catholic Crusaders at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. Atlantic City is coming into the match on a six-game losing streak.
Atlantic City blew Cape May County Tech out of the water the last time the pair played, but on Wednesday Cape May County Tech got their revenge. The Vikings fell just short of the Hawks by a score of 14-12.
Kayla Barrie spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and 12 unearned) runs on 13 hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.
Nelly Sosa
| 04/16/25 vs Cape May County Tech | 4 |
| 04/15/25 @ Williamstown | 1 |
| 04/14/25 @ Millville | 1 |
At the plate, Nelly Sosa made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole four bases while going 3-for-5. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times she's played. Jojo Mejia was another key player, scoring three runs while going 3-for-5.
Meanwhile, Wildwood Catholic never let their opponents score on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Pleasantville with a sharp 18-0 win. Considering the Crusaders have won five games by more than ten runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Emma Johnson was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 11 over four innings pitched. Johnson was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and one triple. Those four RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Wildwood Catholic let Kristen Wareham and Julia Wallace run wild. Wareham scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances, while Wallace scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Sophia Lutz, who scored three runs while going 2-for-2.
Wildwood Catholic always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .824. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Atlantic City's defeat dropped their record down to 4-8. As for Wildwood Catholic, their victory bumped their record up to 5-3.
Thursday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Atlantic City has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .494. However, it's not like Wildwood Catholic struggles in that department as they've averaged .607. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Atlantic City's way against Wildwood Catholic in their previous meeting back in March, as Atlantic City made off with a 15-5 win. Will the Vikings repeat their success, or do the Crusaders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
