The Elyria Catholic Panthers will face off against the Perry Pirates at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Elyria Catholic's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. Everything went their way against North Ridgeville as they made off with a 7-0 win. Winning may never get old, but the Panthers sure are getting used to it with their fifth in a row.
The result came thanks to Kailey Tomasch's shutout, as she gave up just four hits and racked up seven Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jessica Conner, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Lillian Ciryak, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Perry came out on top against Wickliffe on Thursday thanks in part to the team's impressive four-run sixth inning. The Pirates blew past the Blue Devils 8-1. The victory continues a trend for the Pirates in their matchups with the Blue Devils: they've now won three in a row.
Haylee Reed was incredible, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one triple. That's the most runs she has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Arianna Rogers, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
Elyria Catholic's win bumped their record up to 21-4. As for Perry, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 21-4.
Elyria Catholic's speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's game. The Panthers have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.8 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Perry, though, as they've been averaging an even more impressive 1.4 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Elyria Catholic continue to outrun the ball?
Elyria Catholic was able to grind out a solid win over Perry in their previous matchup back in April of 2022, winning 6-1. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Pirates have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
