The Maize Eagles will head out to face off against the Bishop Carroll Golden Eagles at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Maize comes in on 20 and Bishop Carroll on four.
Maize gave up the first runs on Tuesday, but they didn't let that get them down. They put the hurt on Andover Central with a sharp 13-2 win. Considering the Eagles have won 12 matchups by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Porter Newell spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on six hits and racked up seven Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances.
Zane Brungardt
| 05/12/26 @ Andover Central | 3 |
| 05/08/26 vs Hutchinson | 1 |
| 04/21/26 @ Salina South | 1 |
| 04/09/26 vs Maize South | 1 |
| 03/21/26 vs St. James Academy | 1 |
At the plate, Maize got a massive performance out of Zane Brungardt, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and two doubles. Those three hits gave Brungardt a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Drake Blasi, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with one home run and five RBI.
Maize always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .595. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .514 or higher in five consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Bishop Carroll got the win against Northwest on Monday by a conclusive 11-3. The Golden Eagles are also no stranger to big wins: their blowout was the 14th contest they've won by 6+ runs this season.
Jonah Mull and Hunter Axline made a splash no matter where they played. Throwing, Mull tossed five innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. Meanwhile, Axline tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. At the plate, Mull went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Axline went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Judd Blasi, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. Bishop Carroll is undefeated when Blasi posts two or more runs, but 5-7 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Luke Roberts, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Maize's record is now 23-2. As for Bishop Carroll, their record now sits at 17-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Maize has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bishop Carroll struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Maize skirted past Bishop Carroll 4-3 when the teams last played back in April. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Eagles since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
