The Bishop McLaughlin Catholic Hurricanes will head out to take on the Berkeley Prep Buccaneers at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Bishop McLaughlin Catholic's pitching crew has only allowed four runs per game this season, so Berkeley Prep's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Bishop McLaughlin Catholic is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They walked away with a 6-1 victory over Cardinal Mooney.
Cooper Antalek spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on six hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
Steele Thalleen
| 05/01/25 vs Cardinal Mooney | 2 |
| 04/10/25 vs Lennard | 2 |
| 04/04/25 @ Carrollwood Day | 2 |
| 03/11/25 vs Anclote | 2 |
| 04/24/25 vs Tampa Catholic | 1 |
| + 5 more games |
On the hitting side, Steele Thalleen was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Bishop McLaughlin Catholic is 3-1 when Thalleen posts two or more runs, but 12-14 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Dominic Zito, who went 1-for-2 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Berkeley Prep waltzed into their game on Tuesday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They skirted past the Patriots 6-4.
Berkeley Prep also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and he was also dialed-in: Ben O'Brien gave up three earned (and one unearned) runs on nine hits and racked up seven Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Joseph Troupe, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. JD Haughey was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base and two RBI.
Berkeley Prep pushed their record up to 23-8 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.6 runs over those games. As for Bishop McLaughlin Catholic, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 15-15 record this season.
Bishop McLaughlin Catholic couldn't quite get it done against Berkeley Prep in their previous meeting back in April as they fell 4-0. Can the Hurricanes avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
