Baseball Recap: Melbourne Central Catholic Has No Trouble Against Merritt Island Christian

Melbourne Central Catholic never let their opponents score on Tuesday. They blew past the Merritt Island Christian Cougars 12-0. The win continues a trend for the Hustlers in their matchups with the Cougars: they've now won seven in a row.

Collin O'Connell

Batters Struck Out

03/04/25 @ Merritt Island Christian	3
04/24/24 @ John Carroll Catholic	1
04/18/24 vs St. Edward's	1
04/15/24 @ Bayside	2
04/11/24 @ St. Edward's	3

Thomas Chiuchiolo and Collin O'Connell were a major factor no matter where they played. Throwing, Chiuchiolo pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, O'Connell tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. What's more, he posted three strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. At bat, Chiuchiolo went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double, while O'Connell went 1-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That triple was O'Connell's first of the season.

In other batting news, Cole Carroll was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-2. He also hit a double, marking his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Thomas Gonnella, who scored two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

Melbourne Central Catholic always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .531. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Merritt Island Christian only posted an OBP of .176.

Melbourne Central Catholic's victory bumped their record up to 6-2. As for Merritt Island Christian, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 1-3.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Melbourne Central Catholic will venture away from home to face off against Bayside at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. As for Merritt Island Christian, they will head out to square off against Geneva at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday.