The Red Bank Catholic Caseys will challenge the South Plainfield Tigers at 11:00 a.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Red Bank Catholic 3.7, South Plainfield 3.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Red Bank Catholic is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New Jersey's top teams: Christian Brothers Academy, who was ranked sixth at the time (Red Bank Catholic was ranked 19th). The Caseys lost 10-0 to the Colts on Thursday. The game marked the first time this season in which the Caseys were not able to get on the board.
Meanwhile, South Plainfield entered their tilt with South Brunswick on Thursday with four consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with five. They blew past the Vikings 8-2.
Aiden McCarthy spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on two hits and racked up six Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Ryan Balent was excellent, going 3-for-4 with two runs and one RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since April 1st. Another player making a difference was Chris Loniewski, who went 1-for-2 with two RBI and one run.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: South Plainfield kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
South Plainfield's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-3. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.3 runs over those games. As for Red Bank Catholic, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-3.
Red Bank Catholic took their victory against South Plainfield in their previous meeting back in May of 2017 by a conclusive 9-0 score. Do the Caseys have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Tigers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
