vs
| 04/17/24 - Away | 3-2 W |
| 04/18/23 - Home | 5-9 L |
| 04/19/22 - Away | 4-11 L |
| 04/20/21 - Home | 6-1 W |
| 04/26/19 - Away | 10-6 W |
| + 5 more games |
Ralston and Roncalli Catholic are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2015, but likely not for long. The Rams will be playing at home against the Crimson Pride at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Ralston will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each contest than the last.
Ralston is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nebraska's top teams: Bennington, who was ranked seventh at the time (Ralston was ranked 18th). The Rams took a 9-6 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Badgers on Tuesday.
Ralston saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Owen Elsasser, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI.
Meanwhile, Roncalli Catholic made easy work of South Sioux City last Tuesday and carried off an 8-1 win. The victory continues a trend for the Crimson Pride in their matchups with the Cardinals: they've now won nine in a row.
Sean Philbin tossed a big game, striking out nine batters over 6.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Roncalli Catholic is 2-1 when Philbin allows three or fewer earned runs, but 2-7 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Roncalli Catholic got a big performance out of Brady Shetlar, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. Another player making a difference was Dominic Digilio, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base.
Roncalli Catholic hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least four batters in five consecutive matchups.
Roncalli Catholic's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 4-8. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.0 runs over those games. As for Ralston, their loss dropped their record down to 12-5.
Roncalli Catholic's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Ralston has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .434. It's a different story for Roncalli Catholic, though, as they've only averaged .362. Will they be able to contain Ralston's hitters?
Ralston came out on top in a nail-biter against Roncalli Catholic in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, sneaking past 3-2. Do the Rams have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Crimson Pride turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
