John Bapst Memorial hasn't had much luck against Hermon recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Crusaders will be playing in front of their home fans against the Hawks at 12:00 p.m. John Bapst Memorial has given up an average of 8.9 runs per game this season, but Saturday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
John Bapst Memorial is headed into Saturday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their sixth straight game on Thursday. They lost 17-10 to Mount Desert Island. Even if the Crusaders couldn't come away with the victory, the high-scoring effort was a great turnaround for their hitters, which had struggled int the games prior.
Meanwhile, Hermon waltzed into their match on Monday with six straight wins... but they left with seven. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Witches, sneaking past 7-5.
Braelyn Wilcox made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 4-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Those four hits gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Addy Waning was excellent, going 3-for-4 with one run and one double. Those three hits gave her a new career-high. Molly Simcox was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Hermon was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .464. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .308 or higher in four consecutive contests.
Hermon's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-1. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for John Bapst Memorial, their loss dropped their record down to 4-7.
John Bapst Memorial suffered a grim 15-9 defeat to Hermon when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Can the Crusaders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
