vs
| 04/29/24 - Home | 22-21 W |
| 04/16/24 - Away | 13-10 W |
| 03/14/24 - Home | 13-3 W |
| 03/14/23 - Home | 13-25 L |
| 03/23/18 - Away | 22-2 W |
| + 5 more games |
Saint Stephen's Episcopal is 9-1 against St. Petersburg Catholic since February of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Saint Stephen's Episcopal Falcons will face off against the St. Petersburg Catholic Barons at 4:15 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
While Saint Stephen's Episcopal's win against Seffner Christian wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. Saint Stephen's Episcopal had just enough and edged out Seffner Christian 4-3 on Tuesday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Falcons.
Rylan Goar spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three runs (all of which were unearned) on four hits.
At the plate, Genevieve Hoard was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in two of her three plate appearances. Emme Olejniczak also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.
Meanwhile, St. Petersburg Catholic can bid farewell to their 12-game losing streak dating back to last season thanks to their game on Monday. Everything went their way against Southeast as St. Petersburg Catholic made off with a 29-20 victory. The Barons' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Kamya Sanders and Catie Taylor did most of the damage at the plate: Sanders got on base in five of her six plate appearances with one home run, four runs, and five RBI, while Taylor got on base in five of her six plate appearances with four runs, four RBI, and one double. The dominant performance gave Sanders a new career-high in runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Mariah Falcon, who scored four runs while getting on base in five of her six plate appearances.
St. Petersburg Catholic always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .745. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Saint Stephen's Episcopal now has a winning record of 3-2. As for St. Petersburg Catholic, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-3.
Saint Stephen's Episcopal's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's game. Saint Stephen's Episcopal has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.2 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for St. Petersburg Catholic, though, as they've been averaging only 1 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Saint Stephen's Episcopal continue to outrun the ball?
Saint Stephen's Episcopal came out on top in a nail-biter against St. Petersburg Catholic in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, sneaking past 22-21. The rematch might be a little tougher for Saint Stephen's Episcopal since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
