Nichols hasn't had much luck against St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Vikings will head out on the road to challenge the Marauders at 5:00 p.m. Nichols' pitching crew has only allowed 2.9 runs per game this season, so St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Nichols' pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed last Tuesday. They came out on top against Bishop Timon-St. Jude by a score of 5-0. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Vikings.
Max Zlotnick looked comfortable as he tossed two innings 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 five consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Kasey Kohler was excellent, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one triple, one stolen base, and one run.
Meanwhile, with a playoff win on the line, St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute rose to the challenge on Tuesday. They skirted past the Tigers 5-3. The victory was familiar territory for the Marauders, who have now won four contests in a row.
Matthew Anzalone tossed a big game, striking out 11 batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. Those 11 strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
At the plate, St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute's win was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Giovanni Giancarlo, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double. That's the most RBI Giancarlo has posted since back in April. Michael Pegnia was another, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and one double.
St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-11-1. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Nichols, their record now sits at 14-5.
Nichols was able to grind out a solid victory over St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute in their previous matchup on May 8th, winning 5-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Vikings since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
