The Bayside Bears will face off against the Melbourne Central Catholic Hustlers at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Bayside: 1, Melbourne Central Catholic: 3) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Bayside is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Satellite just ended the team's six-game winning streak on Tuesday. They fell just short of the Scorpions by a score of 3-1. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, the Bears couldn't push the score so high this time.
Bayside saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Austin Still, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, while Melbourne Central Catholic put up plenty of runs on Tuesday, the same can't be said for Merritt Island Christian. Melbourne Central Catholic put the hurt on Merritt Island Christian with a sharp 12-0 victory. The win continues a trend for the Hustlers in their matchups with the Cougars: they've now won seven in a row.
Thomas Chiuchiolo and Collin O'Connell were a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Chiuchiolo tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, O'Connell tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. What's more, he posted three strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. At the plate, Chiuchiolo went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double, while O'Connell went 1-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That triple marked the first that O'Connell hit this season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Cole Carroll, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2. He also hit a double, marking his first of the season. Aden Morrison was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base.
Melbourne Central Catholic always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .531. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Merritt Island Christian only posted an OBP of .176.
Having lost for the first time this season, Bayside fell to 6-1. As for Melbourne Central Catholic, their victory bumped their record up to 6-2.
Bayside took their win against Melbourne Central Catholic in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 9-3. Will Bayside repeat their success, or does Melbourne Central Catholic have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
