The Tampa Catholic Crusaders will play host again on Wednesday to welcome the Cardinal Mooney Cougars, where first pitch is scheduled at 6:00 p.m. The last three games Tampa Catholic has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
On Monday, Tampa Catholic had just enough and edged Tampa Prep out 4-2. That's two games straight that Tampa Catholic has won by exactly two runs.
The team relied heavily on Cal Johnson, who went 2-for-4 with a home run, a stolen base, and two RBI. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Mooney scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Monday. They never let Booker onto the board and left with a 14-0 win. With that victory, Cardinal Mooney brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Keaton White was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. White was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Tanner Jackson, who scored two runs while going 2-for-2. Another player making a difference was Joey Siefert, who scored two runs while going 1-for-1.
Tampa Catholic is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 9-4 record this season. As for Cardinal Mooney, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 6-5-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Tampa Catholic has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Cardinal Mooney struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.8 per game. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Tampa Catholic couldn't quite finish off Cardinal Mooney when the teams last played back in April of 2023 and fell 5-3. Can Tampa Catholic avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
