The Bishop McNamara Fightin' Irish will head out to square off against the Harvest Christian Academy Lions at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Bishop McNamara is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last nine games.
Bishop McNamara barely beat Newman Central Catholic the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Fightin' Irish were the clear victors by an 18-2 margin over the Comets on Saturday. Considering the Fightin' Irish have won nine games by more than five runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Preston Payne made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. Payne was also solid in the batter's box, earning two RBI, one run, and one stolen base.
Taylor Fuerst
| 05/10/25 vs Newman Central Catholic | 3 |
| 05/09/25 @ Kankakee | 2 |
| 04/28/25 @ Timothy Christian | 2 |
| 04/21/25 @ Chicago Christian | 2 |
| 04/14/25 @ Marian Central Catholic | 2 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Taylor Fuerst, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. Devin Arbour was another key player, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
Bishop McNamara always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .727. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Harvest Christian Academy entered their tilt with St. Edward on Friday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They came out on top against the Green Wave by a score of 5-2.
Jameson Rapinchuk was excellent, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Cade Adrian also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
Bishop McNamara's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 20-6. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for Harvest Christian Academy, their record is now 14-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Bishop McNamara has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Harvest Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
