The Holy Ghost Prep Firebirds will challenge the Gloucester Catholic Rams at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Holy Ghost Prep 4.1, Gloucester Catholic 3.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Holy Ghost Prep had been on a three-game streak of scoring at least ten runs, but Archbishop Wood put an end to it on Thursday. The Firebirds came up short against the Vikings, falling 10-2. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Firebirds, who until this matchup were averaging 4.07 runs allowed.
Eddie Rosado was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Gloucester Catholic came tearing into Wednesday's contest with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Minutemen a 12-0 shutout. Considering the Rams have won seven games by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Bobby Kleinow tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit over five innings pitched. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Gloucester Catholic got a massive performance out of Noah Danza, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Danza has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played. Chase Ladik was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.
Gloucester Catholic always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .528. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Washington Township only posted an OBP of .062.
Holy Ghost Prep's defeat ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 7-7. As for Gloucester Catholic, their victory bumped their record up to 12-3.
Saturday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Holy Ghost Prep hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .312. However, it's not like Gloucester Catholic struggles in that department as they've averaged .331. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
