The Archbishop McCarthy Mavericks will head out on the road to challenge the Mater Academy Charter Lions at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Archbishop McCarthy is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Westminster Christian just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Tuesday. They fell victim to a tough 14-4 defeat at the hands of the Warriors.
Archbishop McCarthy saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Stephen Joyce, who scored a run while going 1-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Robert Kerns, who scored a run and stole a base.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last contest, Mater Academy Charter made sure to put some runs up on the board against South Miami on Tuesday. Mater Academy Charter came out on top against South Miami by a score of 11-6. The victory was nothing new for Mater Academy Charter as they're now sitting on five straight.
Nicolas Familia tossed a big game, pitching 5.1 innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Brandon Lorenzo, who scored three runs and stole three bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Dylan Fernandez was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Archbishop McCarthy's loss dropped their record down to 10-10. As for Mater Academy Charter, their win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Archbishop McCarthy has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Mater Academy Charter struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.3. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Archbishop McCarthy came out on top in a nail-biter against Mater Academy Charter in their previous matchup back in May of 2023, sneaking past 1-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Archbishop McCarthy since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
