The Brother Rice Crusaders will square off against the St. Rita Mustangs at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Brother Rice is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.3 runs per game this season.
Brother Rice barely beat Loyola Academy the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Crusaders were the clear victors by a 14-2 margin over the Ramblers on Tuesday. The victory continues a trend for the Crusaders in their matchups with the Ramblers: they've now won six in a row.
JJ Manos
| 04/28/26 @ Loyola Academy | 4 |
| 04/21/26 @ Fenwick | 3 |
| 04/14/26 @ Marmion | 3 |
| 04/09/26 @ Trinity | 4 |
JJ Manos looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had over his last four contests.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Brady Cunningham, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Brother Rice's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 10-1 (and 5-7 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Nolan Ramoley, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run and two RBI.
Brother Rice was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .556. They are a perfect 8-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for St. Rita, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They came out on top against Providence Catholic by a score of 6-3 on Tuesday.
Matt Mullins looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Jayden Hawkins was excellent, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Colin Quinn, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI.
St. Rita's win bumped their record up to 15-4. As for Brother Rice, their victory bumped their record up to 15-8.
Brother Rice got the 'W' in their previous meeting back in May of 2025 against St. Rita by a conclusive 13-0 score. Do the Crusaders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Mustangs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
