Santa Fe Catholic has gone a perfect 6-0 against Mulberry recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Monday. The Hawks will square off against the Panthers at 7:00 p.m. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Santa Fe Catholic proved they can win big on Wednesday (they won by ten) and on Thursday they proved they can win the close ones too. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Lake Wales 9-8. The win was familiar territory for the Hawks, who have now won five matchups in a row.
Nathan Arnold
| 04/03/25 vs Lake Wales | 6 |
| 03/25/25 @ Seffner Christian | 4 |
| 03/19/25 vs Owasso | 3 |
| 02/18/25 vs Tenoroc | 3 |
| 03/14/25 vs Owasso | 1 |
Nathan Arnold looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
On the hitting side, Marvin Montenegro was excellent, scoring two runs while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Easton Beach, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Mulberry hadn't done well against Fort Meade recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. The Panthers came out on top in a nail-biter against the Miners, sneaking past 2-1. The victory was nothing new for the Panthers as they're now sitting on seven straight.
Coby Anker looked comfortable as he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in six consecutive appearances.
Santa Fe Catholic's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-3. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.5 runs over those games. As for Mulberry, their record now sits at 17-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Santa Fe Catholic has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Mulberry struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Santa Fe Catholic was able to grind out a solid win over Mulberry when the teams last played back in April of 2021, winning 7-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hawks since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
