The John Carroll Patriots will challenge Notre Dame Prep at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
John Carroll was handed a heart-breaking two-run loss in their last contest, but they sure didn't let that happen against Catholic on Friday. The Patriots put the hurt on Catholic with a sharp 15-6 win. The Patriots haven't had any issues with Catholic recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive victory against them.
Kylie Hinkleman spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned (and two unearned) runs on five hits and racked up eight Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Emily Hildt, who went 3-for-5 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Mia Anderson, who went 3-for-4 with three runs and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame Prep came tearing into Friday's match with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12.9 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Wildcats 17-6. 17 seems to be a good number for Notre Dame Prep as the squad scooped up a win with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Rosie Galasso was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. Those four hits gave her a new career-high. Ryan Owenson was another key player, going 4-for-5 with four RBI, one run, and one double.
Notre Dame Prep was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .471. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Carver A&T only posted a batting average of .308.
Notre Dame Prep pushed their record up to 9-2 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 18.2 runs over those games. As for John Carroll, their victory bumped their record up to 10-5.
Both John Carroll and Notre Dame Prep just can't seem to miss. The Patriots have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.6 hits per game. However, it's not like Notre Dame Prep struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 5.3 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
John Carroll took their win against Notre Dame Prep in their previous matchup back in April of 2016 by a conclusive 19-13 score. Will the Patriots repeat their success, or do Notre Dame Prep have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
