The Bishop O'Connell Knights will square off against the St. Catherine's Saints at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Bishop O'Connell is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They put the hurt on Paul VI with a sharp 13-4 win. The Knights' victory was nothing new given the team hasn't lost yet this season.
Bishop O'Connell let Emma Prykanowski and MJ Melvin run wild. Prykanowski went 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI, while Melvin went 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. That's the most RBI Prykanowski has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Abby Bond, who got on base in three of her five plate appearances with two RBI and one run.
Bishop O'Connell always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .541. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Paul VI only posted an OBP of .344.
Meanwhile, St. Catherine's had already won seven in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11.7 runs) and they went ahead and made it eight on Thursday. They were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over the Titans.
Kinnady Branch was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she tossed four innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in 12 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base.
In other batting news, St. Catherine's got a massive performance out of Armorel Lucas, who went 3-for-4 with four RBI, one run, and one double. Izzy Viruet was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Bishop O'Connell's record now sits at 19-0. As for St. Catherine's, their record is now 23-2.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Bishop O'Connell hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.9 home runs per game. However, it's not like St. Catherine's struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.6 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Bishop O'Connell took their win against St. Catherine's in their previous meeting back in May of 2023 by a conclusive 10-0 score. Do the Knights have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Saints turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
