The Clearwater Central Catholic Marauders are taking a road trip to face off against the Cardinal Mooney Cougars at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Clearwater Central Catholic is coming into the matchup on a three-game losing streak.
Clearwater Central Catholic is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They fell just short of Shorecrest Prep by a score of 11-10 on Tuesday. Even if the Marauders couldn't come away with the victory, the high-scoring effort was a great turnaround for their hitters, which had struggled int the games prior.
Zach Wheeler
| 03/25/25 @ Shorecrest Prep | 7 |
| 02/20/25 vs Dunedin | 6 |
| 03/18/25 vs Northeast | 5 |
| 02/28/25 vs Tampa Prep | 5 |
| 02/15/25 vs Hollins | 3 |
Zach Wheeler was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over five innings pitched. Those seven strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
At the plate, Matthew Covello and Luke Brkljacic did some serious damage despite the final result: Covello scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances, while Brkljacic scored two runs while going 2-for-3. Those two runs gave Brkljacic a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Jamie Vann, who went 2-for-5 with three RBI and one double.
Even though they lost, Clearwater Central Catholic always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .513. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Mooney earned a 7-2 win over Manatee on Tuesday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Cougars.
Cardinal Mooney also got a great performance from Colton Hyde as he struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits (and not a single walk). Hyde has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Brady Zaun was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Wyatt Hossenlopp, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Clearwater Central Catholic's loss dropped their record down to 3-13. As for Cardinal Mooney, their record is now 14-3.
Clearwater Central Catholic couldn't quite get it done against Cardinal Mooney when the teams last played on March 6th as they fell 4-1. Can Clearwater Central Catholic avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
