The Trinity Catholic Celtics will face off against the Keystone Heights Indians at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Trinity Catholic is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Newberry as they made off with a 13-3 win. The victory was familiar territory for the Celtics, who have now won four matchups in a row.
Trinity Catholic got a great performance from Oakley Hayhurst as he didn't allow a single earned run over six innings pitched. Hayhurst also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because the Celtics are 4-2 when he allows at most one earned run, but 6-14 otherwise.
Aidan Elgart
| 04/15/25 vs Newberry | 3 |
| 04/14/25 vs Crescent City | 3 |
| 02/18/25 vs Trenton | 2 |
| 04/09/25 @ Crystal River | 1 |
| 04/04/25 @ Bishop Snyder | 1 |
| + 5 more games |
On the hitting side, Aidan Elgart was a standout: he scored three runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3. Trinity Catholic is undefeated when Elgart posts two or more runs, but 7-16 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Brian Rudman, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with four RBI and one run.
Trinity Catholic kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last game, Keystone Heights made sure to put some runs up on the board against Interlachen on Tuesday. The Indians were the clear victors by a 13-6 margin over the Rams. Considering the Indians have won 11 contests by more than six runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Ethan Franklin made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in March. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with three RBI.
In other batting news, Tallon Campbell was incredible, scoring a run and stealing three bases while going 2-for-2. What's more, he posted three RBI, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. Guage Barry was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Trinity Catholic's win bumped their record up to 10-16. As for Keystone Heights, their victory bumped their record up to 18-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Trinity Catholic has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Keystone Heights struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Trinity Catholic skirted past Keystone Heights 5-3 in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Celtics since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
