The Berkeley Prep Buccaneers will face off against the Bishop McLaughlin Catholic Hurricanes at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Berkeley Prep 2.5, Bishop McLaughlin Catholic 4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Berkeley Prep is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-4 win over Carrollwood Day. The victory was familiar territory for the Buccaneers, who have now won four matchups in a row.
Ben O'Brien
| 04/29/25 vs Carrollwood Day | 7 |
| 04/22/25 @ Community School of Naples | 7 |
| 04/11/25 vs River Ridge | 9 |
Ben O'Brien spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on nine hits and racked up seven Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
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. That's the most runs he has posted since back in May of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of JD Haughey, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and two RBI.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Bishop McLaughlin Catholic, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They came out on top against Cardinal Mooney by a score of 6-1 on Thursday.
Bishop McLaughlin Catholic also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and he was also dialed-in: Cooper Antalek gave up only one earned run on six hits.
On the hitting side, Steele Thalleen was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Bishop McLaughlin Catholic's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 3-1 (and 12-14 when he doesn't). Jadin Soto was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one run.
Berkeley Prep's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 23-8. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for Bishop McLaughlin Catholic, the win got them back to even at 15-15.
Berkeley Prep beat Bishop McLaughlin Catholic 4-0 when the teams last played back in April. Do the Buccaneers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Hurricanes turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
