The Union Catholic Vikings will venture away from home to face off against the Summit Hilltoppers at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Thursday, Union Catholic beat Westfield 9-5. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Vikings.
Ryan Williams spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered five earned runs on ten hits.
At the plate, Nick Anderson was incredible, going 1-for-2 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Brian McCabe, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and two RBI.
Summit came out on top against New Providence on Thursday thanks in part to the team's impressive six-run fifth inning. The Hilltoppers walked away with a 10-6 victory over the Pioneers. The win continues a trend for the Hilltoppers in their matchups with the Pioneers: they've now won five in a row.
The team relied heavily on Matt Mckeever, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those two hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Ryan Barber, who went 3-for-5 with two stolen bases and four RBI.
Summit kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Union Catholic pushed their record up to 7-3 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for Summit, their victory was their first in the league, bumping their league record up to 1-4 and their overall record up to 4-7.
Union Catholic came up short against Summit in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, falling 14-9. Can the Vikings avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
